Dave Canales thinks he knows what is wrong with the Carolina Panthers’ offense, and he does not think it is his quarterback. After a 27-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night, in which Bryce Young was sacked six times, the head coach was asked how much of the problem was Young. “Honestly, I just think it comes down to a protection plan deal for us,” Canales said. “Because when we give Bryce time, he’s shown his ability to be able to spread the ball around, distribute it, find accurate throws in traffic and all those things. And I’m confident that if we shore that part up, which we will, Bryce will be back in his rhythm, making his throws that he can.”
Carolina is 3-4 after its second straight loss. The Panthers trailed 27-10 in the third quarter, pulled within 27-19 with 5:37 left, and then turned the ball over on downs at midfield and could not do anything with a last possession that started with 22 seconds left.
“Made us one-dimensional”
Canales opened by praising the effort. “Love the fight in the group. Didn’t expect anything less,” he said. Then he gave the Packers credit. “A great game plan made us one-dimensional. Got after us in the rush, got after us with the blitzes,” he said, calling it something “we’ve been talking about for the last couple of weeks.”
Asked what the film has shown about the pressure, he said it was more than the blitzes. “It’s good pressure plans that we got to make sure we do a good job of giving them solutions, when they do have overloaded pressures, some zero looks and things, but it wasn’t just that,” Canales said. “They got after us with some four-man rushes and some stunts that we didn’t pass off well.” He said he and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik would work on it.
He also pointed to the chances Carolina did not use. The Panthers recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff at the Green Bay 29 and settled for a field goal. “Three points right there, we got to turn that into seven,” he said. “When you win the turnover battle, if we can function the way we know how, making sure we’re coming away with points right there, then all of a sudden you flip the thing.” Carolina forced two turnovers and scored three points off them.
Young’s knee
Young has been on the injury report with a knee problem and wore a brace on his left knee. Asked if he is comfortable moving in the pocket, Canales said the quarterback decides whether he can play. “He gets to every game day and he’s battling and competing. So as long as he feels strong enough to do that, and we’re taking care of him, we have all the information, then he knows he wants to be out there, and we’re not going to keep him from that,” he said. “We feel great about where he’s at, but that’s something to just look at and make sure we keep an eye on.”
Asked if the knee is taking away Young’s off-platform plays, he said: “Maybe. I would say that he certainly doesn’t look like he’s got that quick, make-you-miss type of deal, but he was able to create some space for himself. But the rush got after us, and that’s the bottom line.”
Why he went for two
After Young’s 26-yard touchdown to Jalen Coker on fourth-and-3 cut the lead to 27-19, Canales went for two instead of kicking. He said the idea was to know what the team needed on the next score. “For me, it was about knowing what you’re going to do on the next one,” he said. “We had a nice play that we really liked based on what they were doing. Had an opportunity there in the back of the end zone. Unfortunately, had two guys in the same spot really going for the ball.” He said Young extended the play and had receivers open, but the Packers got a hand on the pass.
Corey Thornton “itching for an opportunity”
Carolina’s cornerback room is down to its fifth and sixth options. Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson and Akayleb Evans are on injured reserve, and rookie Will Lee III left with a hamstring injury. Asked if the team would add a corner from outside, Canales left that to the front office, Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis. “We’d always be open to different things if it makes sense with our current full roster and salary cap situation and all that,” he said. “But at the same time, we got guys like Corey Thornton waiting around, itching for an opportunity. He’s going to get that opportunity real soon.”
He said he started practice squad call-up Marco Wilson because he “showed good coverage skills, good movement skills,” and praised how Wilson caught up after less than two weeks with the team. “He’s a pro,” Canales said. “His footwork, his speed, the aggressive nature that he plays with was all encouraging and gave us the confidence to put him out there today.”
On injuries, he said Lee “got a pretty good hamstring” and will have a full evaluation. Left guard Corey Bullock, who was starting in place of the injured Damien Lewis, had a quad contusion and did not return. Jake Curhan, elevated from the practice squad, replaced him. “He’s got a way of coming in, settling in and playing good ball for us,” Canales said, adding that Curhan “might have had one play he wants back with the stunt.”
Chuba Hubbard had 22 carries and seven catches, and Canales said he likes that Hubbard “kind of leads it,” with a plan to get Trevor Etienne a few series. The bigger goal, he said, is balance, so the offense is not “put into a box” and can get back to “the explosive nature, the rhythmic passing game that we had going for a while.” Asked how to stop two losses from turning into a slide, he said: “We just take one game at a time.”
The Panthers have extra rest before they host the Denver Broncos on Sunday, November 8, at 1 p.m. ET, which is 8 p.m. in Cairo.
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