Panthers schedule is out Thursday night, but here is all we have already learned
The Carolina Panthers will open the 2017 NFL season in San Francisco against the 49ers, according to league sources. That will mark the sixth times in seven years a Ron Rivera-coached Panthers team has started the year on the road.
Rivera was upset a season ago when the Panthers had to start on the road against the Denver Broncos in a Super Bowl rematch rather than kicking off the season in Charlotte.
The Observer has also learned:
▪ The home opener is in Week 2 at home against Buffalo and new Bills coach Sean McDermott, who was Carolina’s defensive coordinator for six seasons starting in 2011.
▪ And the Panthers close the season on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta against the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opens this year.
▪ An industry source said the Panthers will visit the Bears on Oct. 22.
▪ The Panthers will host the Miami Dolphins in a Monday Night Football game on Nov. 13, the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero reports.
The NFL will release the full schedule on Thursday night at 8 p.m. on the NFL Network.
Joseph Person: 704-358-5123, @josephperson
This story was originally published April 20, 2017 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Panthers schedule is out Thursday night, but here is all we have already learned."