The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from Carolina Panthers’ 2026 Schedule

The Carolina Panthers could be on the move in 2026. Depending on how the team fares during a tough midseason stretch, it could be downward rather than upward.

Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

It’s that fun time of the year for the slew of fans, followers and media who choose to participate. The 2026 NFL schedule has been released and many are scrambling to get in their season predictions.

John Breech of CBS Sports took a different league-wide approach. He took a look at each of the team’s 17-game slate and picked out one positive and one negative aspect of their schedule.

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The Carolina Panthers are coming off their first playoff appearance since 2017 after winning their first division title since their Super Bowl 50 campaign a decade ago. Of course, Dave Canales’s 8-9 club survived a three-way tiebreaker in 2025 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons to capture the NFC South.

Dave Canales’s team will get some much-deserved national attention

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When it came to that one good thing for this organization, look no further than some added exposure. “The Panthers are finally getting some national respect. Carolina has three prime time games on the schedule, which is the most the Panthers have been given since 2016…”

Canales’s club host the Detroit Lions on a Sunday night in Week 4, visit Lambeau Field (where they won a season ago) on a Thursday night in Week 8, and travel to Tampa for a Monday night in Week 12.

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The Panthers host the defending NFC North champion Chicago Bears in Week 1. They then travel to Atlanta and Cleveland, respectively, the following two weeks before the Sunday night clash with Detroit. And according to Breech, that’s when things may take a turn for the worse.

It could be bye-bye for the Panthers after their bye

“The Panthers better enjoy their Week 5 bye, because they have a nightmare slate coming out of it. Starting in Week 6, they have a four-game stretch that looks like this: at Eagles, Buccaneers, at Packers (Thursday night), Denver. The Panthers are 2-10 in their past 12 games against the Bucs and the other three teams made the playoffs last season.”

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Philadelphia and Denver won their divisions in 2025, and Sean Payton’s club was the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Later in the season, the club faces two more reigning division champions in consecutive weeks. The Panthers travel to Pittsburgh in Week 16, then host the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Week 17. On the plus side, Bryce Young and company actually play four of their final five games at home.

All told, if Canales’s team continues its upward trajectory, the Panthers could finish with their first winning campaign since 2017. On the other hand, if the club drops the ball during that rough midseason stretch mentioned by Breech, things could indeed get ugly for a team that looks like one of the more improved squads in the league.