Carolina Panthers 2012 Schedule: Downloadable, Printable

It seemed so clear last offseason how things would play out in Carolina.

Steve Smith was supposed to be on his way to another team. Jonathan Stewart was finally going to get his chance to be a full-time starter. And take it to the bank, if I were a betting man, rookie Cam Newton was primed to fall flat on his face (still bitter he beat my Ducks) in year one.

Then the lockout lifted and somehow Newton convinced Smith to stay in Carolina, and the team decided it was a good idea to bring back DeAngelo Williams for a large sum of money.

OK, I thought; this must mean a heavy running back by committee, as Newton isn’t looking accurate in preseason games.

Oh, how things changed.

Newton had us all fooled, as he threw for over 400 yards Week 1 against the Cardinals, and that promising bounce-back year I thought Smith would have on another team turned to reality on the Panthers with a supposedly raw, rookie quarterback.

Not only did Newton light up the scoreboard, but he did it standing firm in the pocket and only using his legs, as a secondary option, most of the year. Newton wasn’t just a pleasant surprise for fantasy football purposes—he was one of the highest scoring players around!

Sophomore Slump?

I don’t see a sophomore slump from Newton (who does?), but he may lose out on some of those goal-line touches as new fullback Mike Tolbert is an effective runner in that part of the field. Still, Newton will likely be putting up video game numbers, especially if the defense fails to improve from last year.

Third-year receiver Brandon LaFell is being pumped up as a possible breakout player this offseason, but fans shouldn’t forget about David Gettis, who fell to an ACL tear last summer. Their development will likely prove to be important because defenses are sure to roll coverage over to Smith’s side of the field, as we saw his numbers slowed down in the second half last year.

I would also like to see the game scripts involve the running game more often, as Williams and Stewart were having better success in the second half of the season. Now that teams have to respect Newton and Smith, it should make life much easier for running success, and with Tolbert in the mix, it would be wise for Carolina to run the football when they have a lead, so that the defense can stay fresh.

Here's a look at the team's full schedule for 2012:

Panthers 2012 Schedule
Week	Date	Opponent	Game Time
1	Sep 9th	at Buccaneers	4:15 PM
2	Sep 16th	Saints	1:00 PM
3	Sep 20th	Giants	8:20 PM
4	Sep 30th	at Falcons	1:00 PM
5	Oct 7th	Seahawks	4:05 PM
6	Bye Week
7	Oct 21th	Cowboys	1:00 PM
8	Oct 28th	at Bears	1:00 PM
9	Nov 4th	at Redskins	1:00 PM
10	Nov 11th	Broncos	1:00 PM
11	Nov 18th	Buccaneers	1:00 PM
12	Nov 26th	at Eagles	8:30 PM
13	Dec 2th	at Chiefs	1:00 PM
14	Dec 9th	Falcons	1:00 PM
15	Dec 16th	at Chargers	4:05 PM
16	Dec 23rd	Raiders	1:00 PM
17	Dec 30th	at Saints	1:00 PM

Please Note: All Game Times in Eastern Time

More 2012 Schedule Info... 

Panthers Download / Print Version of Schedule

All 32 Teams  

Strength of Schedule vs. Run

Strength of Schedule vs. Pass

Strength of Schedule – Point