Panthers add extra game for next season with NFL’s new 17-game schedule
An extra week of NFL football is officially on the horizon.
During the virtual NFL owner’s meeting Tuesday, the league’s owners approved expanding the regular season to 17 games. For the Carolina Panthers, this adds a road game vs. the Houston Texans to the team’s schedule with the AFC hosting games this year and the NFC in 2022.
The NFC South will be playing the AFC South based on how the teams finished in their divisions. Going forward, the 17th game will feature match-ups between teams in the opposite conference that they were not previously scheduled to play. In 2022, the Panthers will host the team in the AFC West that ends this upcoming season in the same division standing.
The move has been expected since the NFL Player’s Association approved the new CBA last year that gave the owners the ability to do so. The league waited to officially move forward with a vote until the new television contracts were complete, which were announced March 18. This is the first time the league has expanded the regular season since 1978.
A new policy has also been adopted for international games. Beginning no earlier than 2022, teams will now be required to have a neutral-site international game once every eight years.
The 17-game season will still include just one bye week with the season now extended to the second weekend in January. Teams will play three preseason games instead of four. The Panthers will host two preseason games in 2021.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said during a media call Tuesday that the league expects to have full stadiums for all teams during the 2021 season. For all teams, as was the case in 2020, attendance will have to follow local and state regulations.
CAROLINA PANTHERS 2021 OPPONENTS
Home:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tampa. Bay Buccaneers
- New Orleans Saints
Washington Football Team
Away:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills
- Dallas Cowboys
- Miami Dolphins
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Arizona Cardinals
- 17th game - Houston Texans
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Panthers add extra game for next season with NFL’s new 17-game schedule."
