Here’s who the Panthers will play in 2022, after clinching 4th place in the NFC South
The Carolina Panthers aren’t going to the playoffs — and they knew that well before Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints.
But what Sunday’s results did clear up is who the Panthers will face on next season’s schedule.
With Sunday’s results through 8 p.m., the Panthers had secured the No. 4 spot in the NFC South, and as such will face teams with a similar finish from divisions around the league, as well as one complete crossover division (the AFC North), and one conference crossover division (NFC West).
While there are still a few things to be ironed out with the 17-team schedule next season, the Panthers’ home slate of opponents is now a known entity.
In 2022, the Panthers will host one game against each of the following teams: Arizona, Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay.
They’ll also travel to the following teams: Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, L.A. Rams, New Orleans, N.Y. Giants, Seattle, and Tampa Bay.
The league applies a scheduling matrix to the teams and will release a full schedule later in the spring.
The following is from NFL Football operations, and explains the schedule process, and how each team’s opponents are set:
▪ Six games against divisional opponents — two games per team, one at home and one on the road.
▪ Four games against teams from a division within its conference — two games at home and two on the road.
▪ Four games against teams from a division in the other conference— two games at home and two on the road.
▪ Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its own conference — one game at home and one on the road. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season.
▪ The new 17th game is an additional game against a non-conference opponent from a division that the team is not scheduled to play. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season.
