2022 Carolina Panthers season
The 2022 season was the Carolina Panthers' 28th in the National Football League and their third and final season under head coach Matt Rhule. They attempted to improve on their 5–12 record from last season and return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season.
After a 1–4 start from the team, the Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule, along with defensive coordinator Phil Snow. Rhule was replaced with defensive passing game coordinator Steve Wilks, who served as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. After a Week 16 win against the [2022 2022 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions], they improved on their five-win total from the previous three years. However, they were eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth straight year when they lost to the [2022 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers] the following week.
Offseason
Draft
'''Draft trades'''Trades
| Date | Trade partner | Panthers traded | Panthers received | Notes |
| July 6 | Cleveland Browns | 2024 Conditional 5th-round selection | QB Baker Mayfield | |
| August 29 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2023 7th-round selection 2024 6th-round selection | WR Laviska Shenault | |
| August 29 | Tennessee Titans | Dennis Daley 2024 7th-round selection | 2024 5th-round selection |
| Name | Position | College | Ref. |
| Josh Babicz | TE | North Dakota State | |
| Davis Cheek | QB | Elon | |
| Isaiah Graham-Mobley | LB | Boston College | |
| Drew Hartlaub | S | Penn State | |
| Ra'Shaun Henry | WR | Virginia | |
| Talolo Limu-Jones | WR | Eastern Kentucky | |
| John Lovett | RB | Penn State | |
| Marquan McCall | DT | Kentucky | |
| Arron Mosby | LB | Fresno State | |
| Andrew Parchment | WR | Florida State | |
| Charleston Rambo | WR | Miami (FL) | |
| Khalan Tolson | LB | Illinois | |
| Derek Wright | WR | Utah State |
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | at Washington Commanders | W 23–21 | 1–0 | Fedex Field | ||
| 2 | at New England Patriots | L 10–20 | 1–1 | Gillette Stadium | ||
| 3 | Buffalo Bills | W 21–0 | 2–1 | Bank of America Stadium |
Regular season
Schedule
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Cleveland Browns
In the Panthers' home opener against the Cleveland Browns, they came close to winning, but the Browns were able to hold them off. Cleveland defeated Carolina 26–24, meaning the Panthers started off the season 0–1.Week 2: at New York Giants
This was head coach Matt Rhule's first return to MetLife Stadium in 10 years, as he had previously served as the Giants' assistant offensive line coach under then-head coach Tom Coughlin in 2012, a season after the Giants won their 4th Super Bowl title. Things started poorly for the Panthers when, during kick-off, Chuba Hubbard fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by the New York Giants. New York ended up scoring a field goal on the ensuing drive. When Carolina got the ball back, they would fumble again and the Giants scored another field goal. In the second quarter, Eddy Piñeiro scored two field goals for the Panthers, tying the game. Baker Mayfield made a complete pass to D. J. Moore in the third for a touchdown. The Giants answered back with a Daniel Bellinger touch down, tying the game at 13–13 going into the 4th quarter. The Panthers only scored three points in the fourth, while New York scored 6, giving the Giants a 19–16 win, dropping the Panthers to an 0–2 record.Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints
The game started off well for Carolina in the first quarter when New Orleans fumbled the ball. Marquis Haynes recovered it and scored a fumble recovery touchdown for the Panthers. Carolina led by thirteen points at the half after Eddy Piñeiro kicked two field goals in the second quarter. Early in the fourth, Mark Ingram scores a touchdown for the Saints, giving them their first points of the game. Baker Mayfield completes a 67-yard pass to Laviska Shenault for a touchdown. They tried for a two-point conversion, but it failed. With 8:19 to go into the game, Piñeiro kicked another field goal for Carolina. With 2:22 remaining, Marquez Callaway scores a touchdown for the Saints, though it was not enough. Carolina defeated New Orleans 22–14, snapping a 9-game losing streak and improving to 1–2.Week 4: vs. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals end up being too much for the Panthers and defeat them 26–16. Carolina falls to 1–3.Week 5: vs. San Francisco 49ers
The Panthers lose to San Francisco 15–37 and dropped to 1–4 on the year. This was head coach Matt Rhule's and defensive coordinator Phil Snow's last game with the Panthers, as both were fired in the days following the loss with Steve Wilks promoted to interim head coach. In addition, Baker Mayfield, who had another disappointing performance, was benched in favor of P. J. Walker.Week 6: at Los Angeles Rams
Carolina started the game off with a field goal in the first. Both the Panthers and the Rams scored touchdowns in the second, leaving them up 10-7 into the half. The Panthers went scoreless in the second half, while Los Angeles took control and scored 17. The Rams defeated Carolina 24–10. For the first time since 2016, the Panthers were 1–5.This was also the last game Christian McCaffrey played in as a player of the Panthers, as he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on October 20, 2022.