What Dave Canales said about Bryce Young’s ‘statement’ and falling victim to Mahomes’ magic
Patrick Mahomes’ magic prevailed in the end.
But a belief lingered — and probably will for a while around Mint Street — after the Carolina Panthers hung tough in the ring against the heavyweight Chiefs on Sunday and forced Kansas City to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired to defeat the Panthers, 30-27.
The end-of-game sequence was both thrilling and heartbreaking for Carolina:
The Panthers defense forced back-to-back punts late in the fourth quarter, and the offense turned both of those opportunities into points to close an 11-point gap in the fourth quarter.
That final Panthers eight-point drive featured a 1-yard rush by Chuba Hubbard for a touchdown — and then the Panthers went back to Hubbard again for the 2-point conversation to tie it at 27 with 1:46 remaining in the game.
But then Mahomes did what he does. He led the Chiefs on a seven-play, 57-yard drive — which included a 33-yard Mahomes scramble — to set up a Spencer Shrader 31-yard field goal that sailed true and put the Panthers at 3-8 on the year.
Canales hit on a lot of topics in his postgame news conference — from how his defense held up against the Andy Reid-coached Chiefs (10-1), to how second-year quarterback Bryce Young fared in his fourth straight start and more.
Recap the highlights of the coach’s news conference below.
Dave Canales’ opening statement after Chiefs
“Credit to their defense for stopping us, but we had some near misses. And some opportunities down there. You wonder what happens if you can get those points, kind of change the game a little bit that way. So the red zone, really an area we need to find the finish that we need to get done there.
“Defensively, third down, they just were able to continue moving the sticks and giving Pat Mahomes and that group more opportunities. So obviously that makes it really challenging. So just gotta tighten some stuff up there. So I love the way we finish. The defense gave us the ball back twice there, the second-to-last drive, and then we were able to go make something happen on that last drive there. But we gotta finish. That’s gotta be the standard of what we do.”
That being said … you went toe to toe with the reigning NFL champions
“Just to emphasize the execution. What showed up well for us. We’ve been wanting our pass game to continue to grow and to take steps, and Bryce did a great job of pushing us forward that way, even with Jalen Coker being out today. David Moore stepped up huge for us in that way.
“So just continuing to find that opportunity there. And it was working for us in the first half, and in the second half, we were able to get back to our run game, which we wanted to do. They were playing us really aggressive, and they were giving us some pretty tough looks in the run game, so we took advantage of it a little bit in the pass game there.”
On Bryce Young’s day
“He took his opportunities. And he’s making a statement to all of us and showing us that he can make plays in critical areas and really play within what we’re asking him to do, and to extend. He did a great job of extending plays today, which is a huge part of our offense that can really make us more attacking in that way.”
Still week-to-week label on Bryce Young?
“I don’t have to make any statements. He’s making it for himself. He’s continuing to show us the progress that we’re looking for, bringing our skill players to life. Xavier (Legette) played the X position today, so kudos to Xavier as well taking on a new role and finding success there. A couple plays he’d love to have back I’m sure. He’d be the first to tell you, but talking about Bryce, again, it’s the coaching staff, it’s his teammates — he’s showing us what he can do when he’s out there.”
Is Bryce Young the starter next week?
“Absolutely.”
Facing off against Andy Reid
“I mean, just watching him for years and to see it first hand. The patience that he shows. And just the right calls to his group of guys, using different personnel. Using the strengths and talents that they have. It’s really what I admire most about Coach Reid. He’s got a group that just keeps finding a way to win, which is a sign of a great team. But again, I gotta look at us.
“This is about us. This is about taking advantage of red-zone opportunities offensively, and I tip the cap to (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) and that defensive unit for being able to keep us to field goals early on. It’s something that we have to grow from.”
Ja’Tavion Sanders’ latest status after scary tumble in first half
“JT was discharged from the hospital, so that’s good news. But he’s still under evaluation, so I don’t want to make any definitive comments about that. But certainly a positive sign that he’s coming back to the facility right now. … It was a very scary play for JT. So again, we’ll get more information about that and let you know.”
On the defense’s performance
“That was great. It’s just handling adversity. But it’s what happens in the middle of the field, so we don’t give them those opps. But I love that they finished down there, to keep the game close for a while, till they got that touchdown before the half on third-and-10. It’s a big play. And that’s an area we feel like we can attack and make it hard on them. And they were able to come away with a touchdown there, which ended up being a difference in the game.”
Mood of the locker room?
“A combination of sick to our stomachs for letting an opportunity get away against a really good team. But I think the guys could also feel what’s happening. We are becoming us. We are becoming a style of football that we want to pride ourselves on. We took care of the football. Defensively, we got after it, but they did a good job of keeping. I think guys can feel what we’re trying to get done philosophically. And we can count on these guys to step in and make their plays week in, week out. When you can count on stuff, that’s when confidence grows.”
What’s the culture of the Panthers team at this point?
“It’s the fight. It’s the fight in the team. It’s been a signature that I’ve been leaning on this whole time, and even in some of the games where the score’s been lopsided, you just see finish. You see guys that just keep playing football as long as there is time on the clock.
“And for me, it’s all about, ‘When you build culture, it’s what you celebrate. It’s what you look at and say that’s us. You point to those things.’ … There’s just an energy on the sideline that I can feel, that the guys are looking for those things to show up and counting on it.”
Bryce Young playing well against the blitz
“I just saw him playing decisive. And it comes with confidence and knowing his guys are going to be where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there. You saw a bunch of back-foot throws where he knew somebody was coming open, and the anticipation and all that comes from the chemistry of just building over these weeks. And so I was really excited to see some of those things coming alive.”
Franchise quarterback hope?
“That’s really far in the future. Right now, I’m looking to just build off of this week, have another solid week of practice, bring the guys back together, and just attack the basics and the fundamentals.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2024 at 7:06 PM.
