Luke Kuechly gives insight into tricky part of Panthers' 2026 schedule
· Yahoo Sports
Since the 2026 regular-season schedule was released, Carolina Panthers fans have focused on their team's high-profile matchups. Not only do the reigning NFC South champions head into the new year with three prime-time games, but they'll also be facing a handful of fellow first-place squads from 2025.
But a particular two-game stretch, which may be overlooked at the moment, could end up being the toughest part of their upcoming slate.
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Long snapper JJ Jansen and franchise legend Luke Kuechly broke down the schedule on the latest episode of their podcast, JJ & Luke. Kuechly would explain why Carolina will have to navigate through a tricky pair of road outings in Week 12 and 13—where they meet up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a Monday nighter, then move on to travel up north for the Minnesota Vikings:
As both Kuechly and Jansen note, the Panthers still have an advantage as far as travel goes. Their short trip to Tampa helps make up for their projected 8,740 total air miles on the campaign, by far the fewest in the entire NFL.
But the short turnaround should prove to be a test for this growing contender. Plus, matchups against a divisional foe and one of the more dangerous defenses in the game probably won't be easy to get through.
Oh, and they'll also have to buck their recent history. The Panthers are 1-5 against the Bucs since 2023 and are 0-2 in their last pair of visits to Minnesota.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Luke Kuechly reacts to Panthers' 2026 regular-season schedule