2011 Carolina Panthers Schedule
Written by Steve Janus
The Carolina Panthers suffered through their worst season in franchise history last year. They went just 2-14, and their two wins didn’t come easy. That easily landed the Panthers with the worst record in the NFL for the 2010-11 season, which in turn gave them the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL draft. With the first pick the Panthers selected Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. Whether or not Newton will be the starter this season is still up in the air, but you can’t blame the organization for taking a shot on a guy who has enormous potential. Along with a new quarterback the Panthers will begin the 2011-12 season under new head coach Ron Rivera. While the immediate future doesn’t look good at all for Carolina, if Newton ends up being a stud it won’t be long before everyone forgets about the miserable season of a year ago.
The best way to get a good idea of how the Panthers 2011-12 season will play out, is to take a look at who they have on their schedule. Outside of their six division games against the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina will take on the NFC North, AFC South, Arizona Cardinals, and Washington Redskins.
The Panthers didn’t win a single game against their division rivals last year. The only game they even had a chance in was a 14-16 loss at New Orleans early in the year, other than that every game was decided by 10-points or more. The problem for the Panthers is the Falcons, Saints, and Buccaneers are all legit playoff contenders. Any win against these three teams would be a huge plus for the confidence of this team. There has been a recent trend in this division where the team who finishes last the previous year comes out and surprises everyone. Tampa Bay was just 3-13 in 2009 before going 10-6 last year.
Things don’t look much better in the Panthers four games against the NFC North. Carolina has to go on the road to take on the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, while getting the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings at home. I don’t see anyway the Panthers are favored against the Bears, Packers, or Lions. They could surprise the Vikings at home, but that all depends on who their starting quarterback is. In the end I think the Panthers will be lucky to get one win against these four teams.
There is a little more reason to be optimistic in the Panthers four games against the AFC South. While they don’t figure to have much of a chance at all in their two road games against the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, they could easily win one if not both home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. Still without knowing how good Newton is going to be, it’s hard to predict a win against any team for the Panthers.
The Panthers figure to have a decent shot at winning in both their conference games against the Redskins and Cardinals. Carolina beat the Cardinals 19-12 last season at home, but it won’t be nearly as easy facing them on the road this season. The home game against the Redskins isn’t an easy matchup, but definitely a game the Panthers figure to have a shot in.
| 2011 Preseason Schedule | |||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| 2 | Friday, August 19 | @ Miami Dolphins | 7:30 PM |
| 3 | Thursday, August 25 | @ Cincinnati Bengals | 7:00 PM |
| 4 | Thursday, September 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 8:00 PM |
| 2011 Regular Season Schedule | |||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| 1 | Sunday, September 11 | @ Arizona Cardinals | 4:15 PM |
| 2 | Sunday, September 18 | Green Bay Packers | 1:00 PM |
| 3 | Sunday, September 25 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 1:00 PM |
| 4 | Sunday, October 2 | @ Chicago Bears | 1:00 PM |
| 5 | Sunday, October 9 | New Orleans Saints | 1:00 PM |
| 6 | Sunday, October 16 | @ Atlanta Falcons | 1:00 PM |
| 7 | Sunday, October 23 | Washington Redskins | 1:00 PM |
| 8 | Sunday, October 30 | Minnesota Vikings | 1:00 PM |
| 9 | BYE WEEK | ||
| 10 | Sunday, November 13 | Tennessee Titans | 1:00 PM |
| 11 | Sunday, November 20 | @ Detroit Lions | 1:00 PM |
| 12 | Sunday, November 27 | @ Indianapolis Colts | 1:00 PM |
| 13 | Sunday, December 4 | @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00 PM |
| 14 | Sunday, December 11 | Atlanta Falcons | 1:00 PM |
| 15 | Sunday, December 18 | @ Houston Texans | 1:00 PM |
| 16 | Saturday, December 24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00 PM |
| 17 | Sunday, January 1 | @ New Orleans Saints | 1:00 PM |
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