4 daunting games on the Carolina Panthers 2021 schedule

Carolina Panthers vs. Washington Football Team

• Week 11

Much will depend on who is starting under center for the Washington Football Team, but this is another roster that might well be on the cusp of something special. Former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera will be returning to Bank of America Stadium for the first since he was fired during the 2019 season, so he’ll have more motivation than most for this particular contest.

Carolina did manage to get a win at Washington in Week 16 last season, which cost them a top-five pick in the process. However, achieving the same this year against a team that is stacked with talent might be easier said than done.

It all starts on defense for Washington, who have arguably the best front seven in football. The line is loaded with first-round prospects including Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young, with the linebacker corps getting a big boost with the addition of Jamin Davis in the draft.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is expected to start at quarterback, which could go either way judging by the veteran’s erratic form throughout his career. He is a momentum-based player and thrives off success, so if he can start well then it will do their chances the world of good.

Fitzpatrick will have plenty of weapons at his disposal, with Curtis Samuel deciding to link up with Rivera once again in free agency after achieving 1,000 all-purpose yards for the Panthers in 2020.  He’ll go into the game with a big point to prove after Carolina opted to put the franchise tag on Taylor Moton instead, but few would argue that wasn’t the right call to make at the time.

This will be another tough one for the Panthers. But the presence of fans back in the stands on home soil could make all the difference.