CHARLOTTE— Every year, the NFL schedule is released, and teams begin imagining their future: how the upcoming season might unfold, what each week could hold, what could be waiting for them at the end. It's an exciting time that inspires looking ahead to the future. But it also allows us to look back.

Whether it's a divisional team the Panthers see twice every year, a conference team that has slowly become a bigger rival, or a cross-conference division that Carolina hasn't seen in years, each game on the upcoming schedule also brings with it memories of games past. With that in mind, we're looking back on some of our favorite historical plays related to each of the upcoming 2026 opponents.

Week 1 vs Chicago

In 2015, the Panthers were facing the Bears early in the season. Just a few minutes into the game, Philly Brown lined up deep for a punt return. Before he could catch the ball, Bears corner Teddy Williams tackled Brown. The hit resulted in a flag that would have set the Panthers up with good field position regardless. But it also meant the ball bounced around, aimless but also live.

Brown, abiding by the number one rule of play till you hear the whistle, picked up the ball and scooted past the melee fairly unnoticed, down the sideline 79 yards for the first touchdown of the day. The Panthers would go on to intercept Jay Cutler twice, sack him 4.0 times, and win 31-24 behind a strong second-half.

Week 2 at Atlanta

It was just a year ago in mid-November when the Panthers won a Week 11 game that would ultimately be the difference in the NFC South race. As has become customary when playing in the ATL, Bryce Young popped off (31-45, 448 yards, 3 TDs), and the game went to overtime.

Rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, proving in 2025 that he could be exceedingly calm in tense situations, knocked through a game-winning 28-yard field goal in overtime to give Carolina a 30-27 win and a season sweep over the Falcons.

Week 3 at Browns

The Panthers weren't yet in the Cam Newton era back in 2010, but in late November that season, the club had a chance to reconnect with the previous franchise QB, Jake Delhomme. The former Panthers passer was quarterbacking the Browns at the time and had a bittersweet reunion with his one-time teammate, Captain Munnerlyn.

Early in the third quarter, trailing by eight points, Munnerlyn jumped a Delhomme pass and returned it 37 yards for a pick-six. Eventually, a missed field goal and a late Jimmy Clausen interception while driving would prove fatal, and Carolina would go on to lose 24-23.

Week 4 Lions

The Lions game in 2014 marked the return of Cam Newton, after being sidelined with a pre-season rib injury for Week 1 of the season. The QB and his offensive weapons got back to form fairly soon, evidenced by a sideline throw to Kelvin Benjamin that saw the wide receiver make an incredible one-handed catch while falling towards the sideline.

The offensive firepower continued, and Carolina won 24-7.

Week 6 at Eagles

The Panthers were able to mount a comeback against the Eagles back in 2018, rallying from down 17 points to a late-game thriller. With 1:22 left on the clock in the fourth, trailing 17-14 and in the red zone, Newton floated a pass to a wide-open Greg Olsen in the end zone.

Wes Horton sacked Carson Wentz on the Eagles ensuing drive, forcing a fumble on fourth down and sealing the Panthers 21-17 win, the largest comeback at the time in franchise history.

Week 7 Bucs

Late into the 2025 season, Carolina needed every win they could get to hold on to their tenuous spot atop the NFC South. With time ticking below a minute, the Bucs were driving, looking to either kick a game-tying field goal or score a game-winning touchdown. Baker Mayfield scrambled at midfield, looking for his trusty veteran, Mike Evans. But the two were on completely different pages, and rookie safety Lathan Ransom took advantage, diving into the throw for the game-winning interception.

The 23-20 win put the Panthers atop the division, where they would finish the season.

Week 8 at Green Bay

It was a late December game in the Frozen Tundra, 1999, the Panthers versus the Brett Favre-led Packers, the kind of game Green Bay made a reputation on. But that day, Steve Beuerlein out-dueled Favre, going 29-42 for 373 yards and 3 TDs. It was his final run, though, that sealed the game.

With 0:05 seconds left, facing a fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Beuerlein, who had run three times for 3 yards in the game leading up to then, executed a QB draw. The touchdown was as good as a walk-off, and Carolina won 33-31.

Week 9 Broncos

Carolina and Denver traded punches for the first quarter of the 2008 matchup, before the Panthers started to pull away in the second. It was DeAngelo Williams' third-quarter touchdown run that put the nail in the coffin, though. The running back took the handoff, bounced left, saw nothing was there, and bounced back to the middle of the field before sprinting away 56 yards for the touchdown. Carolina would win 30-10.

Week 10 Saints

Drew Brees set NFL history in this December matchup from 2012, but it wasn't enough as the Panthers posted numbers in the second half of what became a shootout, winning 44-38. After the Saints took a 24-13 lead, DeAngelo Williams took the reins back with a 34-yard breakaway touchdown run.

Week 11 Ravens

The Panthers only scored one touchdown in the 2002 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, but it was all they needed in a defensive win. Late in the first quarter, Rodney Peete hit Hall of Honor tight end Wesley Walls for a 20-yard diving touchdown. The Panthers went on to win 10-7.

Week 12 Bucs

The Delhomme-to-Muhsin Muhammad connection in the 2004 season was special. Muhammad went on to earn first-team All-Pro honors and was selected to the Pro Bowl that season after recording a career-high 1,405 receiving yards and setting a team record with 16 receiving touchdowns on 93 catches.

The connection was on display in New Orleans in late December. The day after Christmas, Delhomme threw four touchdowns, two of them to "Moose," including a 15-yarder to start the scoring for the day. Delhomme danced around to buy time, lofted one up, and the 6-2 Muhammad stuck his hand up for the sticky grab.

Week 13 Vikings

Brandon LaFell pulled in four receptions for 107 yards against the Vikings in 2013, and 79 of those yards came on one play. Already up 14-3 at the start of the second half, Newton dropped back deep in his own territory and found LaFell streaking wide-open down the right sideline. The two connected, and LaFell strolled into the end zone for the explosive touchdown that allowed Carolina to pull away for a 35-10 win.

Week 14 Saints

The Panthers were desperate for a second win in 2024, with Bryce Young firmly back in the starting position and in a grudge match against Derek Carr and the Saints. Late in the game, trailing by five, Young led what has become his classic game-winning drive. With 2:18 remaining, Young handed off to Hubbard, who was patient, picking his way through traffic before breaking loose for the 16-yard go-ahead touchdown.

The defense forced a subsequent turnover on downs, Young got to line up in victory formation for the first time in his career, and the Panthers garnered an important win in their '24 rebuild.

Week 15 Bengals

It was 2002, and the Bengals were visiting the real Queen City. Cincinnati was up 7-0 early and lined up on their 4-yard line. Corey Dillon took the handoff but was immediately hit and fumbled. Wallace busted through and then jumped on it in the end zone. It tied the score, and from there, Carolina was rolling. The Panthers went on to win 52-31.

Week 16 Steelers

The Panthers found themselves in a Pittsburgh snowstorm in 1999, and Steve Beuerlein was en route to a league-leading 4,436 passing yards. A chunk of those came against the Steelers on two plays. Beuerlein and receiver Patrick Jeffers had already connected for an 88-yard touchdown pass earlier in the game. At the end of the first half, trailing 23-13 and needing something, Beuerlein danced and tossed up a Hail Mary. Jeffers came down with the 43-yard pass for the score, making it a one-score game.

Neither team did much in the snowy second half, when the game had to be stopped for a while to clear the field, but the Steelers added one more TD to win 30-20.

Week 17 Seahawks

The Panthers and the Seahawks found themselves in a defensive-punt fest in 2007. Carolina was holding on to a tight 6-3 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the game, but Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks were driving. Then, the defense did what they'd done all game and took over. Thomas Davis sacked Hasselbeck and caused a fumble that Richard Marshall jumped on quickly, giving Carolina the ball back at the Seattle 40-yard line.

Three plays later, DeAngelo Williams ran up the middle for a 35-yard touchdown, and it was enough for Carolina to survive the late push from Seattle and still win 13-10.

Week 18 Falcons

After starting 0-2 to start the 2025 season, Carolina was looking for a win to turn their early season around. It came in a big fashion in Week 3 against the Falcons. After building a 10-0 lead in the first half, Carolina ensured Atlanta wouldn't even get a chance to chip back in the third quarter thanks to Chau Smith-Wade. The defensive back jumped a Michael Penix pass and returned it 11 yards for the pick-six, putting the Panthers up big in what would become a 30-0 win.