Happy? Thanksgiving:
This is the headliner. Not only will the Panthers be playing for the first time on Thanksgiving, but they may also be spending the holiday across the table from Greg Hardy. They would have been less likely to face their former defensive end if the game fell earlier on the schedule. It’s still unclear how long the NFL may suspend Hardy, but many have speculated the Cowboys won’t have him for at least six games. History has not been kind to the Panthers in this series. They’ve lost nine of 10, and the only time they won in Dallas was in 1997.
National Spotlight Three-Pack:
The Panthers have three chances to play better than they did last year when everyone was watching. Including the Thanksgiving-is-bigtime-but-kickoff-is-not-technically-primetime matchup in Dallas, Carolina has a Sunday Night game against the Eagles and a Monday Night date with the Colts in back-to-back weeks at home. The Panthers, who are 13-20 all-time in primetime, went 0-3 in nationally televised games during the regular season last year when they were outscored 110-50 by the Steelers, Saints and Eagles.
Rest Before the Storm:
The Week 12 bye was the latest in franchise history last year. This time around, the Panthers get an early rest in Week 5. But when they return, they have a brutal four-game stretch against teams that combined to go 45-19 last year: Seattle, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Green Bay. The good news is the Eagles, Colts and Packers all have to come to Bank of America Stadium. Plus, the Panthers have a bye before facing their nemesis in Seattle. Of course, that may not be good news since head coach Ron Rivera is 0-5 after a bye (including playoff loss to 49ers).
Soft Opening:
The schedule kicks off in Jacksonville where heat and humidity may be an issue, but the Panthers dealt with that well in a Week 1 win at Tampa Bay last year. The home opener against the Texans is the only time in the first four weeks the Panthers will play a team that finished above .500 last year. The Jaguars, Texans, Saints and Bucs were a combined 20-43.
Familiar Finish:
As usual, teams will spend most of their schedule facing divisional opponents in the final weeks of the season. But for the first time since 2009, the Panthers get to wrap up at home (vs. Bucs on 1/3/16). Four of the final five opponents are from the NFC South, including two games in three weeks with the Falcons. If the Panthers need to make a run down the stretch again, they’ll have to do much of their work on the road. Four of their last six games are away from home, but none of their final five games are against teams that finished above .500 in 2014.
“Easier” Schedule:
The Panthers have the league’s sixth-easiest schedule, facing opponents that had a combined 111-145 record last year. Of their 13 opponents, only four made the playoffs while seven finished below .500. But strength of schedule is usually an overrated stat. Consider this: Going into 2013, the Panthers had NFL’s toughest schedule. Once it played out, that schedule ranked as the 17th toughest.
Play Panthers Pick’em: Game-By-Game
PANTHERS’ 2015 SCHEDULE
Week 1: Sept. 13, 1:00 at Jacksonville
Week 2: Sept. 20, 1:00 vs. Houston
Week 3: Sept. 27, 1:00 vs. New Orleans
Week 4: Oct. 4, 1:00 at Tampa Bay
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: Oct. 18, 4:05 at Seattle
Week 7: Oct. 25, 8:30 vs. Philadelphia
Week 8: Nov. 2, 8:30 vs. Indianapolis
Week 9: Nov. 8, 1:00 vs. Green Bay
Week 10: Nov. 15, 1:00 at Tennessee
Week 11: Nov. 22, 1:00 vs. Washington
Week 12: Nov. 26, 4:30 at Dallas
Week 13: Dec. 6, 1:00 at New Orleans
Week 14: Dec. 13, 1:00 vs. Atlanta
Week 15: Dec. 20, 1:00 at NY Giants
Week 16: Dec. 27, 1:00 at Atlanta
Week 17: Jan. 3, 1:00 vs. Tampa Bay