‘A great story.’ Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales reacts to big win over Bucs
The Panthers’ locker room has probably known it.
The Carolina fan base has probably felt it.
Still, throughout this week of practice, head coach Dave Canales thought it was important to vocalize the message — the one that would prove massively poignant in Bank of America Stadium this weekend:
“We’ve been playing playoff football for a really long time.”
And on Sunday’s “playoff game,” the Panthers prevailed.
Carolina (8-7) defeated the Tampa Bay Bucs (7-8) in a Week 16 contest that will go a long way in deciding the NFC South crown and a spot in the NFL playoffs. And the Charlotte-based franchise did so in typical-for-this-team fashion: by a score of 23-20, thanks to a game-winning kick by Ryan Fitzgerald and a game-sealing turnover by the defense.
Canales answered to all of Sunday’s showing in his postgame press conference — and even about the future, now that Carolina is one win away from its first playoff appearance since 2017.
Here are the highlights.
On Lathan Ransom’s redemption, sealing the game with an INT after his costly late-game penalty vs. the Saints
“That’s a great story. That’s fantastic. And it’s just about belief and about having confidence in our guys to be able to be studs about the things we need to work on, and be studs about those different decisions that come up. I love that for Lathan, for him to be able to make the winning play — the biggest play of the game for us.”
On Bryce Young’s heart-stopping scramble that resulted in Ja’Tavion Sanders TD
“They had a great call. They covered us really well. Gotta give credit to JT Sanders for staying alive, and that’s what we talk about: activate the second play. And that’s what happens. And Bryce just miraculously got out of some pretty tough situations right there, kept his eyes downfield and got us a touchdown.”
On Carolina’s rookies maturing
“It couldn’t be at a better time. And it’s why we play these guys. It’s why we believe in them. We live through the bumps along the road with having young players out there. But at this time of year, they’re young, they’re strong, we had a bye week to get our legs back, and they love that. They looked fast. We had an aggressive style of play today. So I’m really proud of those young guys.”
On Bryce Young’s day
“Some critical throws really. And even early on, just a couple of misses. I know one got away from Xavier (Legette). That would’ve been an explosive play on that drive. And I think Bryce was just taking what was there, and the Bucs did a great job of mixing things up. They showed blitz looks and popped out to two. They showed normal looks and brought blitzes. And Bryce just did the right thing with the ball: threw it away when he had to and then extended the play when he could.
“For two weeks now, even going back to last week, just the way he’s been operating, the confidence, the connection, and all the hard work that he’s put in with this young skill group is paying off. For guys just being on the same page: He took advantage of a one-on-one opportunity, and (Jalen) Coker did a great job of stacking and coming up with a catch on that huge third down that led to the field goal.”
Bryce Young’s effectiveness and comfort running the ball
“We give him opportunities. We love putting the ball in his hands in different ways, whether that’s with the RPO (run-pass option) or whether that’s in the keeper game. And he’s showing me, ‘I can do it. I’m good.’ And we can continue to grow our package that way.”
What was the Panthers’ postgame locker room like?
“Hope, belief. Everything’s right in front of us still. To give ourselves a chance to continue to play meaningful football this time of year, they’ve earned that. They’ve earned that because of the work. They’ve earned that because of how they’ve been accountable to each other. And really having a great week of preparation.
“I think I mentioned to all of you about the focus that this group had this week and understanding what’s in front of us, and my message to them was, ‘We’ve been playing playoff football for a really long time.’ Because of our record early on, every single one of those games, for the last month, have been so critical for us to be in this spot. So we’ll get another week, have another opportunity, and we gotta be sure to take the lessons from this one and move forward and try to find our best football.”
On Bryce Young’s ankle, which he appeared to aggravate in the first half
“He was able to work through it. He got stepped on pretty cleanly. I think (Austin Corbett) just kind of stepped back on the action. That’s a couple of times that’s happened now. We’ll have a conversation about it. It could be the splits, it could be Bryce coming away from center. So we’ll look at that and make sure we tie it up. But he was able to run around and make plays, so he was fine.”
On the Panthers’ resilience
“It’s huge. And that’s what’s needed. You gotta just find a way to win, some way, somehow. And when you’re playing amazing teams, you know they’re going to make plays, those things are going to happen. Whether they make a sack or a big play on offense, or the couple of returns that get out on us. And we gotta respond. We can’t dwell on what happens. We gotta move on to the next play. ... Don’t pass judgment based on the early outcome of the game; just keep playing football.”
On Charlotte crowd that lit up Bank of America Stadium
“It was electric. Bank of America Stadium was a special place today. Black towels waving, all-black uniforms, the whole thing. It felt right. It felt exactly right. It was an advantage. There were some false starts. There were some issues with communication. We can see where they were having trouble getting the calls in, getting lined up, that’s our fan base. That’s showing up.
“It really does take all of us, and those are the little advantages and edges that we need. I’m so fortunate to be able to be here, and to feel that type of energy in the building. And then when we make big plays, they let you hear it. The guys feed off that. So there was an amazing, electric feel today in the stadium.”
On cornerback Mike Jackson’s resilience
“It was huge. And it’s just the message for all of the guys: take on the challenge that’s at hand. Mike Evans. The Bucs. A bunch of fantastic players. We gotta play our ball. Even on the touchdown, Mike’s in great position. It’s a great throw and a great catch. You can see him jogging of the field with that belief; he’s ready for the next series.
“I would’ve loved to see him come up with that pick (on an out-route in the second half); he had a beautiful break on the ball and Baker threw it just high enough to where Mike couldn’t get his hands on it. ... Mike’s leadership: He doesn’t say a lot. There’s a mix of different types of leaders we have on this team. ... The guys who are around him on a daily basis can see how much he helps us.”
On confidence from winning close games
“We feel like it’s been like that for weeks on weeks. I like the group feeling comfortable with this type of pressure. Feeling comfortable with knowing that it’s still just going to be about the work. Can we get back to the work? Can we trust our process? And it’ll lead to good results.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2025 at 6:44 PM.
