CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WGHP) — The Carolina Panthers’ schedule for the 2022-23 NFL season was released on Thursday. They are tied for the 12th hardest strength-of-schedule in the NFL.
| Week 1 | Sep. 11 | vs. Cleveland Browns | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 2 | Sep. 18 | @ New York Giants | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 3 | Sep. 25 | vs. New Orleans Saints | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 4 | Oct. 2 | vs. Arizona Cardinals | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 5 | Oct. 9 | vs. San Francisco 49ers | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 6 | Oct. 16 | @ Los Angeles Rams | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 7 | Oct. 23 | vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00 p.m |
| Week 8 | Oct. 30 | @ Atlanta Falcons | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 9 | Nov. 6 | @ Cincinnati Bengals | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 10 | Nov. 10 | vs. Atlanta Falcons | 8:15 p.m. |
| Week 11 | Nov. 20 | @ Baltimore Ravens | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 12 | Nov. 27 | vs. Denver Broncos | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 13 | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| Week 14 | Dec. 11 | @ Seattle Seahawks | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 15 | Dec. 18 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 16 | Dec. 24 | vs. Detroit Lions | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 17 | Jan. 1 | @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00 p.m. |
| Week 18 | Jan. 7/8 | @ New Orleans Saints | TBD |
Divisional Opponents:
As is NFL tradition, the Panthers will play six games against teams from their division, the NFC South, one at home and one on the road for each opponent.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tom Brady ultimately returned to Tampa Bay after a brief stint in retirement this off-season. With Brady’s return, Tampa Bay is reloaded and ready to make another run at a Super Bowl after going 13-4 and falling short in the Divisional Round to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams last season. Todd Bowles is the new head coach in Tampa Bay as former head coach Bruce Arians retired on March 31. The Panthers have failed to defeat the Buccaneers in any of their matchups the last two seasons.
Last Meetings:
Dec. 26, 2021: L Buccaneers 32 – Panthers 6
Jan. 9, 2022: L Buccaneers 41 – Panthers 17
New Orleans Saints: Super Bowl XLIV-winning head coach Sean Payton stepped down as head coach on Jan. 25. The new head coach is longtime Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Jameis Winston is back at quarterback in New Orleans after tearing his ACL in a game against Tampa Bay last season. The Saints finished last season with a record of 9-8.
Last Meetings:
Sept. 19, 2021: W Panthers 26 – Saints 7
Jan. 2, 2022: L Saints 18 – Panthers 10
Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons are entering a new era as they traded away longtime franchise quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts this off-season. In Ryan’s place, there will be quarterback competition between former number 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota and newly drafted rookie Desmond Ridder. Star wide receiver Calvin Ridley will be suspended for the entire season after being caught gambling on Falcons games. In Ridley’s place will be this year’s number 8 overall pick Drake London, a big wide receiver out of USC. The Falcons went 7-10 last season.
Last Meetings:
Oct. 31, 2021: W Panthers 19 – Falcons 13
Dec. 12, 2021: L Falcons 29- Panthers 21
Non- Divisional Opponents:
Per NFL scheduling traditions, teams in the same division will all match up against teams from two separate divisions for a total of eight games. This year, the NFC South will match up against opponents from the AFC North and the NFC West.
AFC North Opponents:
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers are also a team in transition as their two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, retired after an 18-year career in Pittsburgh. There will be a competition between former UNC quarterback and number 2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky and their first-round selection in this year’s draft, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett. It’s going to be a short move for Pickett who played his college ball in the same stadium he will play professionally. Trubisky however is a veteran with multiple seasons of playoff experience. The Steelers also expect to have a strong defense with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt roaming the field. The Panthers are 1-6 all-time versus the Steelers, their last victory coming in 1996. Pittsburgh went 9-7-1 last season.
Last Meeting:
Nov. 8, 2018: L Steelers 52 – Panthers 21
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are looking to bounce back after an injury-riddled season that concluded with a disappointing six-game losing streak. The Ravens are quarterbacked by 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson who is playing for a massive contract extension next season. Baltimore will be returning their top two running backs, JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards after both missed last season due to injury. Expect the Ravens to be one of the most dominant teams in the NFL at running the football. The Panthers are 4-2 all-time versus the Ravens. Baltimore went 8-9 last season.
Last Meeting:
Oct. 28, 2018: W Panthers 36 – Ravens 21
Cleveland Browns: The Browns are a team looking to compete for the Super Bowl after a disappointing sub-.500 season. They swung for the fences this off-season trading three future first-round picks for former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson sat all of last season as he had requested a trade and the NFL was investigating claims of sexual assault against Watson. While Watson will not be criminally prosecuted, the NFL could still choose to apply a suspension to Watson despite that, casting some doubt about the Browns early in the season. The Browns also traded for Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper. Cleveland was in talks about trading their former number 1 overall pick at quarterback, Baker Mayfield, to the Panthers during the draft, but those talks were halted as the teams could not reach an agreement on Mayfield’s salary. The Panthers are 4-2 all-time versus the Browns.
Last Meeting:
Dec. 9, 2018: L Browns 26 – Panthers 20
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals were the surprise of the NFL last season, going from having a top 5 pick in the draft two years ago to the Super Bowl last season. While they ultimately came up just short against the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl, the Bengals boasted a very young roster and are expected to contend for the title for years to come. Cincinnati is led on offense by their quarterback Joe Burrow, the number 1 overall pick in 2020, and his college teammate wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, the number 5 overall pick in 2021. The Panthers are 3-2-1 all-time versus the Bengals. Cincinnati went 10-7 last season.
Last Meeting:
Sept. 23, 2018: W Panthers 31 – Bengals 21
NFC West Opponents:
Seattle Seahawks: Another team in transition, the Seahawks are also a team that has moved on from a Super Bowl-winning quarterback as they traded Russel Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a treasure chest of draft picks. In Wilson’s place will be former Broncos quarterback Drew Lock. Lock has had an up and down career to this point, showing promise in a few starts his rookie season in Denver before disappointing in year two and then failing to beat out former Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for the starting job last season. The Seahawks also said goodbye to another franchise as they released multiple-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner and watched him sign with their division rival Los Angeles Rams. The Panthers are 3-8 all-time versus the Seahawks. Seattle went 7-10 last season.
Last Meeting:
Dec. 15, 2019: L Seahawks 30 – Panthers 24
San Francisco 49ers: The Niners will also be transitioning to a new quarterback as their first-round selection last year, Trey Lance, is widely expected to take over for former starter Jimmy Garoppolo. The Niners have been very successful with Garoppolo at quarterback making the Super Bowl in 2020 and to the NFC Championship Game last season, but Garoppolo’s physical limitations and tendency to be injured led to the decision to move on to Lance. Also hanging over this season is the trade request of All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel over a contract dispute that has yet to be resolved. The Panthers are 13-8 all-time versus the 49ers. San Francisco went 9-8 last season.
Last Meeting:
Oct. 27, 2019: L 49ers 51 – Panthers 13
Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are yet another talented team riddled with questions heading into the new NFL season. All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first six games following a failed test for performance-enhancing drugs. Also hanging over the season is a contract dispute between the team and young star quarterback Kyler Murray. The Cardinals fizzled out after a 7-0 start finishing at 11-6 before being dominated in the Wild Card round by the Los Angeles Rams. The Panthers are 12-4 all-time versus the Cardinals and boast a six-game winning streak in the series.
Last Meeting:
Nov. 14, 2021: W Panthers 34 – Cardinals 10
Los Angeles Rams: The defending Super Bowl Champion Rams are ready to defend their title again. After trading their former number 1 overall pick quarterback Jared Goff for quarterback Matthew Stafford last season, the Rams went all the way to the Lombardi Trophy. Los Angeles also boasts arguably the most dominant player in the NFL in multiple-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Aaron Donald and arguably the best cornerback in All-Pro Jalen Ramsey. The team arguably got better in the off-season adding Pro Bowl talents such as linebacker Bobby Wagner and wide receiver Allen Robinson. The Panthers are 12-9 all-time versus the Rams. Los Angeles went 12-5 last season.
Last Meeting:
Sept. 8, 2019: L Rams 30 – Panthers 27
Other Opponents:
New York Giants: The Giants are entering a new era after firing Joe Judge and hiring Brian Daboll. The Giants had two top ten picks in the draft spending them on edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Evan Neal. Former Duke quarterback Daniel Jones is back under center and has one more opportunity to prove that he is the franchise signal-caller in New York before the team likely moves on from his expiring contract. The Panthers are 6-5 all-time versus the Giants. New York went 4-13 last season.
Last Meeting:
Oct. 24, 2021: L Giants 25 – Panthers 3
Detroit Lions: The Lions are in the midst of a rebuild after trading away longtime quarterback Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff and draft picks. The Lions were widely expected to be a candidate for one of the worst teams in NFL history last season but showed incredible grit in going 3-13-1. They selected a hometown hero in Michigan edge rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, with the number 2 overall pick in the draft. The Panthers are 7-3 all-time versus the Lions.
Last Meeting:
Nov. 22, 2020: W Panthers 20 – Lions 0
Denver Broncos: The Broncos are looking to take a big step forward after trading a treasure chest of picks to Seattle for All-Pro quarterback Russel Wilson. The Broncos have struggled in recent years failing to qualify for the playoffs ever since besting the Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in 2016. One question looming for the Broncos is the arrest of wide receiver Jerry Jeudy on Thursday. The Panthers are 1-5 all-time versus the Broncos. Denver went 7-10 last season.
Last Meeting:
Dec. 13, 2020: L Broncos 32 – Panthers 27
