‘No moral victories’: What Dave Canales said after Panthers’ playoff loss
.JPG "Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, left, hugs quarterback Bryce Young, right, following the teams 34-31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, January 10, 2026.")
The Carolina Panthers saw their season come to an end in a way that tugged on all sorts of emotions — after a game that was equal parts thrilling and blissful and heartbreaking.
But the main way head coach Dave Canales described the game?
He focused on how proud he was of his players.
“As we all know, in this league, there are no moral victories,” Canales said.
But, he added: “Today is not about losing this opportunity, but it’s about a team that came together to play really good football and to battle.”
The Panthers fell to the Rams, 34-31. The loss was difficult to swallow, no doubt, the coach said — but it in many ways encapsulated and validated the up-and-down nature that was the 2025 season.
There were heroes. Jalen Coker, with his career-high receiving yard total of 134, was one. A scampering, do-it-all quarterback Bryce Young was another (21 of 40 for 264 yards, a touchdown and an interception). There was also a punt-blocking Isaiah Simmons, an intercepting Mike Jackson, and a swell of 73,000-plus standing souls, washing the stadium in noise and blue and joy.
There were blunders, too. A Young interception here, a Trevor Etienne muffed punt there.
But, most of all, there was pride — the good kind of pride.
And a plan to strive for more in 2026.
Canales answered to all of this in his postgame news conference. Here are the highlights.
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Dave Canales opening statement
“My hat’s off to coach (Sean) McVay, to the Rams for battling. And again, there’s such a mix of emotions in the locker room right now of guys who are proud of what we’ve accomplished and proud of what we’ve gotten to — and then sick about the missed opportunity that was right in front of us, and that’s going to sting. That’s going to sting for a good while.
“But I asked the guys to keep their heads up and let this fuel you for what we’re going into, and to understand how hard it is to work to get into this position where you get this kind of opportunity.”
On Matthew Stafford’s performance
“He made a couple of nice plays when we pressured him throughout, and I thought we did a good job of mixing it. (Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero) had a really good plan for trying to get pressure on him early on, and then they picked up the blitzes, and he hurt us a couple of times over the middle on some third downs. And so we had to play a little bit more coverage right there.”
Immediate thoughts on conclusion of 2025 season
“It’s just about belief. That’s what this season has been about. Do you believe that you belong in these games? Do you believe that you can beat anybody if we do our job, if we play football the right way, and we make the right calls and all that? And it’s my job as the head coach to prove to these guys that if we handle business, we take care of the ball, and we play great football, we can play with anybody. And that belief is here. And the guys understand that part of it, and that’s a big part about why this one stings.”
Was Jaycee Horn (concussion) ruled out that final drive?
“He was. He was not able to come back from that. ...
“It was untimely. I thought they took a lot of opportunities in the middle of the field, just kind of with some high, low concepts, and made the completions to get those drives going. And they didn’t really attack us outside, where Jaycee (would’ve been). But at the same time, having Jaycee out there is always a good thing.”
On Bryce Young’s performance
“Gritty. Just gritty, tough. This is a really good pass rushing group, and he made plays. He extended the play, found guys down the field consistently, ran a touchdown in from a little bit further out. Of course, he’d be up here, and he’ll tell you he would love to have that interception back. And that’s a part of this game that he understands that’s in his control.
“But at the same time, you know, to give us a chance to take the ball all the way down after the punt a couple of plays and then punch it in with the beautiful throw right there to Coker at the end to take the lead — it was unbelievable. I just can’t say enough about the way Bryce stepped up and played in this game.”
An update on Ickey Ekwonu’s injury
“He’s got a knee injury. We’ll give you more of an update. They got to do all the MRIs and all that stuff, but I think it’s a significant injury, and something that we’re gonna have to go into the offseason with.”
On Jalen Coker’s career-high day
“I’m really excited about his chemistry with Bryce, and where they’ve grown. When Jalen came back to us, middle of the season, we were finding ways to get him on routes that he can execute. And he just finds a way to win, you know? And generally, when the ball goes his direction, you can count it as a catch. And he and Bryce have just worked tirelessly on a daily basis to get that chemistry to the point where this game was a huge one for him.”
Has Bryce Young earned his fifth-year option?
“That’s all conversations for (a little later).”
On final Panthers offensive possession
“I think they covered us well, and they rushed us well. Bryce had to get off the spot, and they did their job.”
On his emotions after the loss
“They’re completely mixed. Disappointed. As we all know, in this league, there are no moral victories. ... Today is not about losing this opportunity, but it’s about a team that came together to play really good football and to battle. And on this stage right here in a prime time opportunity, in the playoffs, in the wild card round — unbelievable for the guys to step up and make the plays, and play the physicality and our style. Our style was on display today. And I’m really proud of that.”
On cornerback Mike Jackson’s season
“Mr. Consistency. Just steps up and makes his plays when they’re there, knock the ball down over and over. Then coming up with a huge interception for us there at the end was amazing, after a fourth down to give us another chance.”
On the energy in the city of Charlotte
“Absolutely, when we came here as a staff, our whole goal was to create a brand of football that we can be proud of. And that’s what we’re doing. And we’re building something from the ground up: from the basics, the fundamentals and the technique and all that, and trying to build it the right way.
“I’m just so proud to bring that to Panthers fans, to bring them a brand of football that they enjoy watching, that they can connect with. And it brings the community together. I’m really proud of all those things, and I’m sick that we couldn’t get it done for our group tonight.”
Why the Panthers didn’t burn any timeouts on the Rams’ final drive
“I thought we were going to have an opportunity. If they did score, we’d have an opportunity. I’d have some timeouts in my pocket to do that. And it was going to be us, you know, stopping them and getting them to some longer (downs and distances) right there for me to actually get the timeout in that situation.”
This story was originally published January 10, 2026 at 10:09 PM.
