Carolina Panthers schedule brings daunting look for Matt Rhule in 2022

No sooner had another disappointing loss for the Carolina Panthers taken place in Week 17, their daunting run of games in 2022 was confirmed.

Fans of the Carolina Panthers could be forgiven for looking ahead after what’s transpired from Week 4 onwards during the 2021 season. The team’s incredibly poor run of form sees them staring yet another five-win campaign in the face unless they can somehow topple the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium, which is a clear sign things are not progressing as expected in Year 2 of Matt Rhule’s reign.

All signs point to the Panthers standing pat with the head coach. according to multiple reporters with close contacts within the organization. However, there will be some still waiting in the hope team owner David Tepper acts once the season comes to a conclusion.

Sunday’s loss at the New Orleans Saints was another abject failure against a team that offered almost nothing from an offensive standpoint. Immediately after the contest finished, Carolina’s 2022 opponents were revealed to bring around further dread.

If the Panthers enjoyed a favorable schedule in 2021 – something they couldn’t make the most of – then next season’s slate promises to be far more testing. Especially considering this is the big year three Rhule’s been pin-pointing as the time we’ll see Carolina make substantial leaps forward across the board.

In addition to their annual engagements with NFC South divisional rivals, the Panthers also feature several teams expected to be Super Bowl contenders in 2022 and others that could become more of a force providing their respective offseason processes go as expected.

Carolina Panthers face a difficult schedule in 2022.

Here’s what Carolina’s fanbase has to look forward to at Bank of America Stadium in 2022:

• Atlanta Falcons
• New Orleans Saints
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Arizona Cardinals
• San Francisco 49ers
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Cleveland Browns
• Detroit Lions
• Denver Broncos

Carolina’s road games next season can be described as a gauntlet, to put it mildly:

• Atlanta Falcons
• New Orleans Saints
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Los Angeles Rams
• Seattle Seahawks
• Baltimore Ravens
• Cincinnati Bengals
• New York Giants

One thing’s for sure. If Rhule does get an expected reprieve to lead the Panthers in 2022, then he’ll have his work cut out trying to make the necessary progression many were expecting during the current campaign.

This isn’t college, where Rhule had success in Year 3 at Temple and Baylor. Carolina’s schedule in 2022 is absolutely brutal and couple this with significant questions at certain positional groups, it’s not hard to see why another high-end pick might be in the offing when the 2023 NFL Draft rolls around.

Whether the Panthers will lose enough games to be in contention for Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud is up for debate. But judging by how things have gone since the team’s 3-0 start, it cannot be dismissed entirely if Rhule stays and Sam Darnold is once again under center.

Looking forward to the new season is always a source of great excitement for NFL fans after such a long break. However, unless some major changes occur with the Panthers in the coming weeks, there will be a sense of trepidation from a fanbase that is becoming increasingly disillusioned.

And looking at their 2022 opponents, it’s not hard to see why.