What Dave Canales said on Bryce Young’s starting status, Panthers’ close win vs. Saints
The Carolina Panthers entered Sunday without a home win in 322 days.
There won’t be a 323rd.
The Panthers (2-7) defeated the New Orleans Saints (2-7), 23-22, in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It featured second-year quarterback Bryce Young orchestrating his first game-winning touchdown drive in the NFL and a bunch of compelling moments — the kind that had fans in the lower bowl of the stadium on their feet for most of the second half.
Head coach Dave Canales answered to all of those moments in the postgame presser — from Ja’Tavion Sanders’ 46-yard run-and-hurdle-and-catch, to Chuba Hubbard’s game-winning touchdown run, to Bryce Young’s wonderful display of game management. The second-year quarterback finished 16 for 26 for 171 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Here’s a recap of what Canales said after Sunday’s thrilling contest, including his plans at the quarterback position for the rest of the season.
On his defense’s late-game stand
“It was just a great job by the guys to have that finish mentality. And I think the discipline of it is: You don’t pass judgment on the outcome of a game based on what happens early on. It was back and forth a little bit there. But for the guys to be able to play our calls, to execute the way we want them to execute, to make plays when it came to them, you gotta be proud of that. I can’t be more fired up for a group that has had to just fight and scratch and play defense.”
Assessing Bryce Young’s day
“Solid. Again I gotta look at the whole thing, watch the film and all that stuff, go back and watch the stuff. But he came up big in some critical moments. And gave us an opportunity a couple of times. Again, just proud of the step he took again. Just taking all the things we’re asking him to do, getting us to the right plays at the right time. So a great step.”
Ready to name Young the starter next week?
“Not yet. We’ll take in all the information, watch the film. We gotta process. We gotta make sure we look at all this stuff. And we’ll let you guys know in the next couple days.”
What would hold you back from starting Young?
“Again, just looking at all the information we have, taking a look at the film, all that stuff. Making sure we make the best decision for the team.”
Mindset of the Panthers to have such a big win
“It’s just exciting to see the hard work pay off. Coming back every single week. Coming back after losses and having to just go right back to the film, right back to the basics and the fundamentals. And it just gives us a chance to point to those things. And show where those things showed up, and show the things that we gotta continue to improve.”
Taking us through Ja’Tavion Sanders’ big play
“He’s just a playmaker. It was a check-down, and he hurdled a guy, stayed on his feet and really flipped the field. I’m just proud of the young guys in general, but JT today for sure just taking advantage of some of those opportunities one on one, down the field. So a great step forward for him.”
Update on Xavier Legette’s progress and his hand injury
“He’s doing great. A couple of opportunities down the field we wish we could’ve had back. But he continues to play fast. He’s a big strong dude. And for him to be able to come back out after the assessment and all that, to come back out and finish the game was awesome.”
Did his hand injury affect that interception?
“I don’t know. I gotta take a look. Wasn’t sure which hand he had locked on that particular play. But it could be. It was a fantastic play by the corner on that one.”
On beat-up offensive line performing well (no Ikem Ekwonu, Austin Corbett)
“I’m proud of those guys. And it just goes back to the confidence we have in our guys to step in, take advantage of these opportunities, respect these moments for these guys that get these opportunities to show what they can do. The bottom line is: They’re just trying to find a way to help the team win. And they did that, and they were all together, working on the stuff all week. Really proud of Cade (Mays), really proud of Brady (Christiansen), getting out there and being able to help us win.”
On Bryce Young’s mid-game frustration on designed short throws
“The way that series played out, the plays just went to those spots. One was a screen with an aggressive part of it as well. But they had a great call. I thought they had really better calls on two of those screens than we had. And then we just missed the throw on the second down to Xavier that I thought we had a chance on. But those are ones I’ll look at and I’m sure I’ll be kicking myself for.”
How did those conversations impact playcalling throughout the rest of the game?
“I’ll keep all those conversations private. But again, I think you’re asking the right question. Just knowing when I can be aggressive and taking advantage of those opportunities. And Bryce continuing to show that when I give him those playcalls, he’s going to find opportunities down the field, which he did a good job of today.”
Mike Jackson’s game-winning pass breakup
“Just the energy of the sideline exploding on that. A one-on-one opportunity. Those are the things that we’ve talked about. Playing our leverage. Playing our assignments. And then just making those plays when they come to you, so a huge play for Mike. I’m so proud of him. And just the guys: the moment was special. The moment to see those guys finish all the way through to the last play. So really proud of him.”
Two-point conversion delay of game explanation
“We gotta talk to the guys. I gotta gather more information on that.”
Carolina’s redzone defense coming up big
“Yeah it’s huge. I think it was the number of opportunities. And our calls, our execution, all those things are getting better. We’re getting tighter with our coverage. Allowing the rushers to get closer to the quarterback, forcing errant throws, and those things. And it’s just the number of trips down there that we want to try to minimize. But the guys ended up forcing some critical field goals, which ended up winning us the game. So just keep playing. As long as there are downs, as long as there is grass, just keep playing. And that’s what they did.”
A final word on Bryce Young’s confidence
“Yeah it just helps being out there. Having the game in Denver to go through some things that we’ve talked about and trying to just build, trying to take steps. So he did that. He re-engaged last week. He was focused. And he just continued to work on his game and work on his teammates, like he has been.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2024 at 6:15 PM.
