A schedule sign that would prove the Panthers have arrived
The Panthers are the only team without a Sunday night game since the NFL went to a 17-game schedule in 2021. Will that change this season?
The NFL is set to release the 2026 regular-season schedule on Thursday evening. That means over the next few days, we'll be treated to a bunch of leaks—usually regarding big games in prime-time television slots. We already know what the first Sunday Night Football matchup of the year will be.
The Dallas Cowboys will visit the New York Giants in NBC's first evening broadcast of the campaign. But one team we may not find on another one of those SNF matchups is the Carolina Panthers , who haven't been featured on such a broadcast in the NFL's 17-game schedule era. In fact, per Saints Wire's John Sigler, they're the only team who hasn't been in a Sunday nighter since 2021 .
. . Fewest games on Sunday Night Football in the 17-game schedule era: 1.
Carolina Panthers (0) T-2. Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints (1) 6. Tennessee Titans (2) T-7.