CHARLOTTE – Carolina Panthers fans will be able to feast on Thanksgiving football like never before.
The Panthers will visit the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, November 26, marking the first Thanksgiving Day game in franchise history.
"It's exciting for our players to be able to compete on Thanksgiving Day," head coach Ron Rivera said. "Every season presents challenges, regardless of when the games are played. We've known our opponents, but now the dates are set and we're excited to get started."
Carolina's trip to Dallas is one of three nationally televised games featured on the Panthers' schedule released by the NFL on Tuesday, with the other two taking place at Bank of America Stadium over the course of eight days. The Philadelphia Eagles will visit Oct. 25 for Sunday Night Football, and the Indianapolis Colts will come to town Nov. 2 for Monday Night Football.
"Our players have earned the right to be in the spotlight," Rivera said. "We have to take advantage of those. I know our fans will respond and provide an incredible home field advantage at Bank of America Stadium."
The week before the primetime doubleheader kicks off, the Panthers visit a Seattle team that has reached the last two Super Bowls. The week after the primetime doubleheader, Carolina hosts a Green Bay team that nearly kept Seattle out of the most recent Super Bowl.
Tickets for the Panthers' home slate will be available soon. Group tickets go on sale April 30, followed by Ticket2Packs on May 2 and then single game tickets on May 30.
| DAY | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | TIME | |
| Fri. | Aug. 14 | at Buffalo Bills | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Sat. | Aug. 22 | vs. Miami Dolphins | Bank of America Stadium | 7:00 p.m. | |
| Fri. | Aug. 28 | vs. New England Patriots | Bank of America Stadium | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Thu. | Sept. 3 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | Heinz Field | 7:30 p.m. | |
| DAY | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | TIME | |
| Sun. | Sept. 13 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | EverBank Field | 1:00 p.m. | |
| Sun. | Sept. 20 | vs. Houston Texans | Bank of America Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | |
| Sun. | Sept. 27 | vs. New Orleans Saints | Bank of America Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | |
| Sun. | Oct. 4 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | |
| Sun. | Oct. 11 | BYE | |||
| Sun. | Oct. 18 | at Seattle Seahawks | CenturyLink Field | 4:05 p.m. | |
| Sun. | Oct. 25 | vs. Philadelphia Eagles | Bank of America Stadium | 8:30 p.m. * | |
| Mon. | Nov. 2 | vs. Indianapolis Colts | Bank of America Stadium | 8:30 p.m. * | |
| Sun. | Nov. 8 | vs. Green Bay Packers | Bank of America Stadium | 1:00 p.m. * | |
| Sun. | Nov. 15 | at Tennessee Titans | LP Field | 1:00 p.m. * | |
| Sun. | Nov. 22 | vs. Washington Redskins | Bank of America Stadium | 1:00 p.m. * | |
| Thur. | Nov. 26 | at Dallas Cowboys | AT&T Stadium | 4:30 p.m. * | |
| Sun. | Dec. 6 | at New Orleans Saints | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | 1:00 p.m. * | |
| Sun. | Dec. 13 | vs. Atlanta Falcons | Bank of America Stadium | 1:00 p.m. * | |
| Sun. | Dec. 20 | at New York Giants | MetLife Stadium | 1:00 p.m. * | |
| Sun. | Dec. 27 | at Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | 1:00 p.m. * | |
| Sun. | Jan. 3 | vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Bank of America Stadium | 1:00 p.m. * | |
| * - Subject to flexible scheduling.* | |||||
The Panthers open the season Sept. 13 at the Jacksonville Jaguars – the fifth consecutive opener on the road and third consecutive in Florida – and close the season at home Jan. 3, 2016, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carolina last concluded the regular season at home in 2009.
Carolina plays its first home game Week 2 against the Houston Texans and then begins its slate of six NFC South games when the New Orleans Saints visit in Week 3 before traveling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4.
The Panthers, seeking an unprecedented third consecutive NFC South crown, don't face another division foe until playing four of their final five games against them. Carolina's first game against the Atlanta Falcons isn't until Week 14, and the Panthers play them twice in three weeks with a trip to the New York Giants in between on Dec. 20.
The Panthers could end up making more than three primetime appearances under the league's flex scheduling policy, which allows a time change for a total of two NFL games between Weeks 5-10 and for many more games from Weeks 11-17.
Flex scheduling will not affect games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights. Though unlikely, the Sunday Night Football game against the Eagles in Week 7 could be flexed to an earlier start, but the Monday Night Football game against the Colts in Week 8 could not.
