A Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas and two primetime home games in Weeks Seven and Eight highlight the Carolina Panthers 2015 schedule announced Tuesday by the National Football League.
Carolina will play on Thanksgiving Day for the first time in franchise history as the team travels to Dallas to face the Cowboys on Nov. 26 in a nationally-televised game on CBS. The Panthers other nationally-televised games come at Bank of America Stadium in back-to-back weeks with an NBC Sunday Night Football contest against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 25, and an ESPN Monday Night Football matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 2.
“It’s exciting for our players to be able to compete on Thanksgiving Day,” head coach Ron Rivera said. “We also have two primetime games and I think our players have earned the right to be in the spotlight. We have to take advantage of those. I know our fans will respond and provide an incredible home field advantage at Bank of America Stadium.”
The two primetime games are part of a three-game home stand from Weeks Seven-Nine, ending with the Panthers hosting the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 8. The teams met last season in Green Bay.
On Oct. 18, Carolina will visit last year’s NFC Champion, the Seattle Seahawks, after hosting them each of the past three years. It will mark the teams’ fifth meeting in the last six years after having played just three times in the franchise’s first 15 seasons.
The Panthers open the season on the road against Jacksonville on Sept. 13. Expansion teams in 1995, the Panthers and Jaguars have met just five previous times, most recently in Charlotte in 2011. Carolina’s home opener comes one week later against the Houston Texans on Sept. 20. The least common opponent in franchise history, the Texans and Panthers have met just three previous times.
NFC South division games versus New Orleans (Sept. 27) and at Tampa Bay (Oct. 4) come before a bye week in Week Five (Oct. 11).
Carolina travels to Tennessee for the first time since 2007 on Nov. 15 and then hosts the Washington Redskins on Nov. 22.
The Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas starts a stretch of four road games in five weeks. After Dallas, the Panthers travel to New Orleans on Dec. 6 and host Atlanta on Dec. 13, before facing the New York Giants on Dec. 20 and Atlanta on Dec. 27.
The Panthers close out the regular season with a home game against Tampa Bay on Jan. 3.
Last season, the Panthers earned their second consecutive NFC South championship and the team’s first playoff win since 2005. Carolina became the first team in NFC South history to win consecutive division championships since realignment in 2002.
“Every season presents challenges, regardless of when the games are played,” Rivera said. “We’ve known our opponents, but now the dates are set and we’re excited to get started.”
