A schedule sign that would prove the Panthers have arrived

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 . . .

Carolina's last appearance on Sunday Night Football came way back in 2016, in the infamous "tie game" against the Seattle Seahawks. After the league's reigning Most Valuable Player Cam Newton was sat on the opening series because he did not wear a tie on the trip out west, the Panthers ate an embarrassing 40-7 loss on the national stage.

As far as the recent squad goes, the Panthers did pop up on Monday night in 2025—only to take a 20-9 defeat at the hands of the host San Francisco 49ers.

But as the release approaches, Carolina is getting some buzz as a team that . They are coming off their first division title since 2015 and look to be ascending after another strong offseason.