In this series, we break down the Panthers 2024 schedule piece by piece
With the 2024 NFL schedule officially released in full on Wednesday night, we now have a clearer picture of the road the Panthers will have to take in the first season of the D&D (Dan and Dave) Era. Will the season end up being a natural 20 or a critical fail? Let’s take a look at the matchups during the third quarter of the season.
Week 10: Panthers vs Giants, November 10th (Munich, Germany), 9:30am, NFLN
For the first time since 2019, the Panthers will be heading overseas for an NFL football game. With a large fan presence in Germany, making this a Panthers home game does make sense. It does mean one fewer game in Charlotte, though. The Panthers were allotted Germany as their “International Home Marketing Area,” along with the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Giants won only six games last year and decided not to address the starting quarterback position in the offseason despite Daniel Jones’s struggles. DraftKings has the Giants’ projected win total at 6.5 games.
Week 11: BYE WEEK
The Panthers have a well-timed bye week this season. It’s about halfway through the season, and it comes right after a long overseas journey. And, like Dave Canales mentioned in the behind the scenes schedule release video the Panthers put out on social media, it gives the team an extra week to prepare for the champs.
Week 12: Panthers vs Chiefs, November 24th, 1:00pm, CBS
In an unexpected but not really unexpected turn of events, the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season. They continue their reign by making a trip to Charlotte in Week 12. The Chiefs still have Mahomes and Kelce, while also adding the literal fastest player ever at the NFL Combine in Xavier Worthy. Though they’ll be without LaJarius Snead after trading him away, the defense is still very good, led by Chris Jones in the middle of that defensive line. DraftKings currently has the Chiefs projected win total at 11.5 games.
Week 13: Panthers vs Buccaneers, December 1st, 4:05pm, FOX
The first round of the Dave Canales (Brad Idzik, etc) Bowl comes the first day of December. Round 1 will be fought at home, which should be an advantage for Canales and Co. The Bucs addressed their biggest need in the first round of the Draft by taking Duke center Graham Barton. They also resigned Mike Evans, much to Panthers fans chagrin. The biggest difference with the Bucs will be the offensive playcaller; their previous offensive coordinator has taken his talents to the Panthers (IYHH). DraftKings currently has the Bucs projected win total at 7.5 games.
Week 14: Panthers at Eagles, December 8th, 1:00pm, FOX
The Panthers take a trip up the east coast to take on the Eagles, a former juggernaut. Part of the reason for their precipitous fall at the end of last season was their age and ineffectiveness in the defensive secondary. They decided to heavily invest in that position, taking Quinton Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the Draft. Perhaps the biggest question mark for the Eagles from a roster building perspective is replacing Jason Kelce, who retired after last season. DraftKings currently has the Eagles projected win total at 10.5 games.
Summary
Despite the Giants being more than beatable, this is otherwise a rough stretch for the Panthers. The Giants game being in Munich makes it even more unpredictable. The late bye week should help against the Chiefs, but I highly doubt that game ends in a Panthers win regardless. Following the game against the defending NFL champs is a game against the defending NFC South champs, then the defending NFC East champs. Yikes.