Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen could join one of the NFL's most elite circles if he wins the 2025 NFL MVP award. Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Panthers' toughest game of 2025 named when reigning NFL MVP comes to visit

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated May 11, 2025 6:36 PM ET

After months of anticipation, the 2025 NFL schedule will be released on Wednesday, May 14. That means the dates and times (and off week) for each team’s 18-week slate. It’s somewhat of a holiday for many fans and media members, who will immediately make win-loss predictions for the entire season despite the fact that the teams won’t take the field for roughly four months.

The opponents for each club have been known since the conclusion of the 2024 regular season. When it comes to the Carolina Panthers, Dave Canales’s team will obviously face the rival Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice.

The NFC South clashes with the AFC East and NFC West this season. Carolina will host Buffalo and Miami, as well as the Rams and Seattle. There will also be a home game with the Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, the team will travel north to face New England and the Jets, as well as make visits to Arizona and San Francisco. There will also be trips to Green Bay and Jacksonville.

Kyle Soppe of Pro Football Sports Network recently ranked the toughest game for each of the 32 teams in the league. When it came to Canales’s squad, a visit from 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen and the reigning AFC East champions shapes up as a major acid test. “The Carolina Panthers continued to show their trust in Bryce Young during the draft, and a big season could be in store for the young quarterback if he can take the next step in his development.

“Carolina is unlikely to win a ton of games,” added Soppe, “but if they could beat the Bills at home, that result alone would give this franchise signs of hope that have been lacking in recent years. The Panthers are 2-23 in their last 25 games against future playoff teams, with an average point differential of minus-11.5 PPG in those contests.”

In 2024, the improving Panthers won four of their final nine games. Two of those losses were to the Super Bowl-bound Chiefs (30-27) and Eagles (22-16) by a combined nine points. Depending on when Sean McDermott’s club travels to Charlotte, a win over one of the league’s current powerhouses could wind up being a stepping stone for bigger and better things.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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