Panthers 2024 NFL Schedule Released for Bryce Young's 1st Year with HC Dave Canales

The 2023 season was nothing short of a nightmare for the Carolina Panthers.

Bryce Young turned in one of the worst seasons for a rookie quarterback in NFL history, free-agent signing Miles Sanders went bust, and 33-year-old Adam Thielen was their only reliable receiver.

To make matters worse? The Panthers handed the No. 1 pick in April's draft to the Chicago Bears.

Chicago selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the top selection—a superior prospect to Young in every respect—while the Panthers were forced to scrounge on the open market for secondary pieces. The front office added offensive linemen Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt and wide receiver Diontae Johnson, but they also jettisoned top pass rusher Brian Burns and cornerback Donte Jackson.

It'll likely be another long season, but new Panthers coach Dave Canales does have a recent history of success improving struggling offenses. Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith saw marked improvements under Canales the last two seasons, and Carolina will undoubtedly be hoping for a trifecta with Young.

Let's check in on the Panthers' schedule and see how things line up for the 2024 campaign.

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2024 Carolina Panthers Schedule

Full schedule information available on the team's official website

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Analysis

After being the weakest division in the NFL last season, NFC South teams will understandably rank among the easiest schedules in 2024. That's what happens when you play six games against the only division in the NFL that didn't have a team win more than nine games.

The NFC South will face off against the AFC West and NFC East as their common non-divisional opponents this season, which doesn't exactly bode well for Carolina. Games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers can likely be Sharpied in as losses.

The Panthers' non-common opponents unfortunately come with a bit of bad-luck timing. The Arizona Cardinals (Kyler Murray) and Cincinnati Bengals (Joe Burrow) should be vastly improved as their star quarterbacks return to star health, and the Chicago Bears loaded their roster around Williams.

It's hard to look at the schedule and find many games where the Panthers will be favored. Three of their four easiest games—against the Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos—come on the road. Week 10's game against the New York Giants may be the only time they're favored the entire 2024 season.

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Pivotal Matchups

Barring some unforeseen scenario, the Panthers aren't a playoff team and aren't going to come particularly close this season.

One could argue the biggest game on their calendar will come against the Bears, if only because it will show the two diverging paths of the franchises.

If Carolina was patient in its rebuild a year ago, it could have easily been the team featuring D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen at receiver and touting a generational prospect in Caleb Williams at quarterback. Instead, the Panthers tried to microwave their rebuild and wound up making what already looks like a catastrophic trade.

Young vs. Williams alone is enough to make Panthers fans stress, so getting a head-to-head win over Chicago would be a small moral victory.

It's also theoretically possible the NFC South will be a complete mess again in 2024 and the Panthers could have a miracle turnaround. The 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars could provide a blueprint for a team that turned a nightmare rookie season for a quarterback into a breakout sophomore campaign.

That said, we wouldn't hold our breath.