The Carolina Panthers enter the 2026 NFL season with an NFC South Division title to defend.
But if history is any indication, they may not get off to a great start in that title defense.
The Panthers are the worst team in NFL history in Week 1.
They win just 34.3% of their opening games, and they haven’t won in Week 1 since 2021.
The #Panthers have the worst week one winning percentage in the NFL (34.7%). They have not won their opening game since 2021.
Does Carolina break the trend this year?
h/t @scott_fowler | #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/H0huX2g1a0
— SleeperPanthers (@SleeperCarolina) September 8, 2026
Sure, the Panthers haven’t always been the NFL’s strongest team, but that’s still a dramatic rate. They win just about one-third of their season-opening games.
Panthers Week 1 Games
The Panthers joined the NFL in 1995, which means prior to this season, they’ve played 31 Week 1 games.
In those games, they are 11-20.
This is the list:
- 1995: Falcons 23, Panthers 20 (OT)
- 1996: Panthers 29, Falcons 6
- 1997: Redskins 24, Panthers 10
- 1998: Falcons 19, Panthers 14
- 1999: Saints 19, Panthers 10
- 2000: Redskins 20, Panthers 17
- 2001: Panthers 24, Vikings 13
- 2002: Panthers 10, Ravens 7
- 2003: Panthers 24, Jaguars 23
- 2004: Packers 24, Panthers 14
- 2005: Saints 23, Panthers 20
- 2006: Falcons 20, Panthers 6
- 2007: Panthers 27, Rams 13
- 2008: Panthers 26, Chargers 24
- 2009: Eagles 38, Panthers 10
- 2010: Giants 31, Panthers 18
- 2011: Cardinals 28, Panthers 21
- 2012: Buccaneers 16, Panthers 10
- 2013: Seahawks 12, Panthers 7
- 2014: Panthers 20, Buccaneers 14
- 2015: Panthers 20, Jaguars 9
- 2016: Broncos 21, Panthers 20
- 2017: Panthers 23, 49ers 3
- 2018: Panthers 16, Cowboys 8
- 2019: Rams 30, Panthers 27
- 2020: Raiders 34, Panthers 30
- 2021: Panthers 19, Jets 14
- 2022: Browns 26, Panthers 24
- 2023: Falcons 24, Panthers 10
- 2024: Saints 47, Panthers 10
- 2025: Jaguars 26, Panthers 10
Who Do The Panthers Play in Week 1?
The Panthers open this season on Sunday, Sept. 13 at home. They’ll take on the Chicago Bears.
Amazingly, these teams have yet to meet to open a season until this year — not that such a history would have a huge historical significance right now, but it’d still be interesting.
The Bears lost their season opener a year ago to the Minnesota Vikings, 27-24, and then were even worse in game two, a 52-21 loss to the Detroit Lions, before turning their season around.
Chicago is led by third-year quarterback Caleb Williams and second-year head coach Ben Johnson. With those two now comfortable with each other, the Bears are expected to put up points in bunches.
Chicago has not made a lot of changes to its offense, and the Bears actually traded DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills in the offseason, but in general, there’ll be strong continuity there.
The Panthers, too, have a lot of continuity in their offense. Rico Dowdle is gone, but many of the other main contributors are back.
If it’s a warm day in Carolina on Sunday, there could be a hefty point total put up between the Bears and the Panthers.
Panthers Up Against NFL’s Worst Week 1 Trend