NFL Schedule 2014: Three Prime Time Games For Panthers

Get ready for at least three doses of the Carolina Panthers in prime time during the 2014 NFL regular season.

Finishing with a 12-4 record and making an appearance in the playoffs can have that kind of impact of the NFL schedule makers.

The first of the three prime time games will take place in Week 3 on September 21 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Bank of America Stadium as part of NBC’s “Football Night in America.”

The next two prime time games will be held in back-to-back weeks, with a Thursday night game at home on October 30 against NFC South division rival New Orleans that will be televised on the NFL Network. On Monday, November 10, the Panthers will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in Week 10 for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”

The Panthers will open the season on the road against division rival Tampa Bay and will also host Super Bowl champion Seattle for the third straight season when the Seahawks come to Charlotte in Week 8 on October 26.

The Panthers will face a brutal stretch beginning in Week 6, when they will face teams that all made the playoffs last season for five consecutive weeks (at Cincinnati, at Green Bay, Seattle, New Orleans, at Philadelphia.)

The bye week won’t come until Week 12, and three of the team’s final four games will be against division opponents.

Steve Smith, the Panthers all-time leading receiver who signed as a free agent with Baltimore in the offseason, will get to face his former teammates when Carolina travels to Baltimore in Week 4 (September 28).

Carolina will play nine games against opponents that finished last season with a record of .500 or better, including six teams that made the playoffs.

In addition to the six NFC South division games, the Panthers will play four games each against the NFC North and AFC North.