Carolina Panthers Week 16 Visit to Pittsburgh Just Got More Interesting

The Panthers travel north in December and face one of their better players from 2025. Meanwhile, there’s another notable performer headed to Pittsburgh.

Dec 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks to throw in the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers were a division champion in 2025, albeit with an 8-9 win-loss record. It was the second time in four years that the winner of the NFC South finished with a sub-.500 mark. It was also the second time in Panthers’ history that they won a division title with a losing record. Ron Rivera’s 2014 team won the NFC South with a 7-8-1 mark.

Dave Canales’s team encounters a challenging schedule in 2026

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Nevertheless, a first-place finish is a first-place finish regardless of a team’s record. That means the caliber of competition in 2026 for Dave Canales’s team has been upgraded. The Panthers’ first game of the season features a clash with the defending NFC North champion Chicago Bears. There’s a four-week stretch in which the team travels to Philadelphia, hosts the Buccaneers, heads to Lambeau Field on a short week, and then hosts the reigning AFC West champion Denver Broncos. Tricky stuff indeed.

There’s a bit of break per se the final five weeks of the season. Canales’s club plays four of those games at home, including back-to-back tilts with the Saints and Bengals (Weeks 14-15) as well as the Seahawks and Falcons (Weeks 17-18).

Panthers could be facing an old friend and an older quarterback

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There’s a tasty little hole in the middle of this doughnut as the Panthers head north to Pittsburgh in Week 16 to renew acquaintances with their leading rusher in 2025. Rico Dowdle was allowed to test the free-agent market this offseason, and he signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal with the defending AFC North champion Steelers.

However, the intrigue level of this interconference battle just increased a smidge as veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers has agreed to return to Pittsburgh via a one-year contract. Now Carolina’s defense will not only have to contend with a former teammate who ran for 1,076 yards and six scores this past season, they may also have to deal with a veteran signal-caller who proved he still had a little left in the tank despite some shaky moments.

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

This past season, Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young and Rodgers had somewhat similar seasons, each with a smattering of inconsistency. Both started 16 regular-season games, led their teams to division titles, and were one-and-done come the playoffs. Young threw for 3,011 yards, 23 scores and 11 picks. Rodgers passed for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns and served up seven interceptions.

It all shapes up as a very interesting interconference tilt that now has two fairly prominent storylines rather than one.