What Dave Canales said after Carolina Panthers defeat the Rams and stun the NFL
Are the Carolina Panthers ... for real?
This was a recurring theme of the questions hurled at head coach Dave Canales in his postgame press conference, which was held just a few minutes after the Carolina Panthers stomped off the Bank of America Stadium turf as winners over the Super Bowl hopeful Los Angeles Rams.
The Panthers are 7-6 and have won all but one of their close games in 2025 — including Sunday’s 31-28 thriller — but still, there was a feeling of disbelief in the cold-and-wet-and-loud delirium consuming Uptown Charlotte.
When the first of such questions came, Canales was resolute.
“On Saturday night, we were saying: We have seen the Rams best football, and they’ve been playing amazing,” Canales said. “And I said, ‘No one seen our best yet.’”
Until Sunday.
This victory for the city of Charlotte was decided by several factors. The Panthers went 3-for-3 on fourth down, two of them turning into touchdowns; one by Jalen Coker and the other by Tetairoa McMillan. They also forced two interceptions against the red-hot and MVP-candidate Matthew Stafford — who’d previously thrown an NFL record 28 touchdowns in between picks — and one of those picks was returned for a touchdown by Mike Jackson.
The Panthers didn’t turn the ball over, they established the run with Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, and they dominated the time of possession battle 35:16 to 24:44. Bryce Young led his 11th game-winning fourth-quarter drive, and then, a few plays later, arguably the Panthers’ best player — defensive lineman Derrick Brown — shrugged off his opponent and forced a Stafford fumble that was scooped up by DJ Wonnum.
Canales answered to all of this and more in his postgame press conference. Here’s a recap of what the second-year head coach said.
Dave Canales opening statement
“I just gotta say: Bank of America Stadium. The fans showed up in the weather. It was wet, but it was loud. And it was noticeable. The third downs, especially at the end, we can’t take those things for granted and the edge that it gives us on our rushes.
“Even that last rush, where we got that sack fumble. They’re up against the clock, there was a delay of game. And it just gives us a little bit of an edge to get off the ball, to attack it and come away with a win.”
On the Panthers being massive underdogs
“Really the challenge was for the guys. On Saturday night, we were saying: We have seen the Rams’ best football, and they’ve been playing amazing. And I said, ‘No one seen our best yet.’ And while they still made yards, and they still did things, our best football is still out there in front of us, and that’s our goal: to find it. But our guys came together offensively as one and really executed today.
“Starting with the run game, our offensive line, just calling those guys out: Ickey (Ekwonu) and (Damien Lewis) and (Austin Corbett) having an excellent day. Jake Curhan stepping in when we needed him to. And Taylor Moton had to come out for a little bit, and Yosh Nijman had a series in there, but he was able to come back and finish.
“We can’t do it without those guys, because we were able to run the ball like we like to. It put us into some favorable third down and fourth down situations where we can be aggressive, knowing that we have shorter sticks to go against. But it all starts up front, and then Bryce just executing on third down and finding us some wins on some critical downs was huge.”
What do you attribute your fourth down success to?
“Just matchups. And Jalen Coker. Jalen Coker providing that first touchdown, knowing that we like to match up outside. He’s a guy that’s been playing great ball, and we just haven’t been able to really make him come alive. Still had four catches, so you’d still like to see him come away with a few more. But that was the first one.
“And then just being able to run the ball and showing play action for TMac’s touchdown allowed us to get the one on ones, get the box the way we wanted it to, which is the design and the philosophy of what we do. But it was some of those third down runs that got us into those favorable situations that allowed us to have that success.”
Where does the Panthers’ resilience come from?
“It’s humility. It’s playing games where we’re humbled by not having great execution and knowing that we have to get back to our basics, our fundamentals and execution. And this is a humble group. It’s the leadership of our team. It’s Derrick Brown and it’s Bryce and these guys taking one game and saying, ‘We can do better than this,’ and rising to the challenge, making sure that we’re being intentional with what we’re doing every single day and how critical it is to execute on game day.”
Is Chuba Hubbard fully back? How did the tandem backfield work out vs. Rams?
“It’s fresh legs when they go out there. And you know, Rico (Dowdle) with a huge check on the last drive. We didn’t come with points on the drive, but putting the ball out there in his hands, whether it’s a run or a pass, just get the ball into Rico and Chuba’s (hands) and let them affect the game because of who they are, because of the aggressive style they play with. And so it’s a dream to be able to have two guys that you can count on, and I can call anything that I have on the call sheet and trust that it’s going to get executed.”
On why Chuba Hubbard was used more Sunday than in previous weeks: “It’s just the way that the game played out. We had more attempts, we had more opportunities, and then it really came down to some third down conversions. And then also some third down runs, and Chuba has been our primary third down back right now with the protections. But we also run the ball some, and that’s a great opportunity just make sure he gets his touches.”
What gave you the confidence in Bryce Young to lead another come-from-behind win?
“I always feel confident with Bryce in those situations. And the bigger the stakes, the higher the moments, he stays the same in terms of execution, and it allows me to just call the best thing for that area. But again, it’s the balance of the run game, and being able to give us those type of opportunities.”
The Panthers lead the NFL in fourth-down conversion attempts. Why has this become a trend?
“Well, who you’re playing matters, and certainly with the Rams and the high-powered offense that they have, it makes me a little bit more aggressive. And (assistant coach) George Lee and I have these conversations during the week, talking about our strategy and who we’re playing, and if it would be good. What’s it looking like on the other side? Like, let’s try to steal a series here if we can. We came out with touchdowns; first downs I would have been thrilled with, but to come away with touchdowns is fantastic.
“You really capitalize on some of those single-high one on one matchups, and that’s what we’ve been hoping our guys do: is to be able to come away with those opportunities. It’s single high. They’re man to man. Somebody’s got to win. The guys found great wins for us today.”
On Derrick Brown’s strip sack
“Again, I got to talk about a fan base and the noise, the crowd noise, it matters. And it allows us to just get a jump because we’re locked in on the ball. They basically are going off a movement as well, and it just gives us an advantage. And it just felt like we got to jump on that rush. And they protected really well for most of the game, and some of those big shots they had down the field were far beyond the two-and-a-half, three seconds that I’m preaching for the offensive side. Stafford was able to kind of evaluate; whenever you give them a chance like that, he’ll find a completion somewhere. But they stayed with it, and our mentality is ‘finish.’ And every single opportunity, you’re going to get everything we have.”
On cornerback Mike Jackson getting into the end zone
“Oh, it’s unbelievable. First career pick six for Mike, which I was a little bit shocked by, but again, I look back, and I was looking for a long time in Seattle, and he had some interceptions. I could never remember him running one back, but just a great payoff. The fundamentals were right. His feet were in the ground. He broke on the ball perfectly, and then came away with the score.”
This story was originally published November 30, 2025 at 6:06 PM.
