You might take a look at the box score and think the Carolina Panthers lost this game because of bad quarterback play. While Bryce Young was far from excellent, the main problem tonight came from the sideline. Dave Canales had one of his worst showings.
The Panthers had a matchup with a team with bad run defense and even worse passing defense, and were coming off a fantastic outing against a top-ranked pass defense. Canales could've picked his poison, but he instead poisoned himself.
It is highly unlikely that a 6-6 coach, especially one who won five games last year, is on the hot seat, but he probably should be. And this time, it's his own fault.
Dave Canales' seat should be hot after MNF disaster
Dave Canale
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales studies the playbook in the fourth quarter agianst the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Dave Canales abandoned everything that worked last week. He hardly moved Tetairoa McMillan around, and he didn't dial up deep passes. It felt like he proved the passing offense could succeed down the field last week, so there was no need to go out and prove it again.
But while he abandoned that facet of the game, he also abandoned the run. Both Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard were pretty solid, and they got a total of nine carries. With the 49ers missing linebackers, the Panthers didn't even try to take advantage of the weak spot.
I genuinely don’t know how you face the 49ers and target TEs twice all game… and run nine times with RBs.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) November 25, 2025
Canales' game management was pretty bad, as was his situational playcalling. It's first down from the two-yard line after a game-altering interception. Instead of even attempting a run with the bruising Dowdle against a bad run defense, he has Young roll out. Now, Young threw an ill-advised pick, but Dowdle should've been celebrating in the end zone by that point.
Then later, on third-and-goal from the five, he dialed up a screen pass to Chuba Hubbard, the least effective pass-catcher on the offense, that had one blocker attempting to block two defenders. Naturally, it didn't work.
His decisions to go for it on fourth down or not go for it were pretty poor. He punted on fourth-and-three from near midfield when he absolutely should've gone for it. He kicked a field goal from 57 on fourth down trailing by 11. The logic of needing a touchdown and a field goal is not terrible, but the Panthers had a modest fourth down and it was the longest kick Ryan Fitzgerald had ever attempted.
Ejiro Evero did his job tonight
Dave Canales did not
— Nico (@elitetakes_) November 25, 2025
Not that it mattered, but down seven before halftime, Canales let time waste away even though he had all three timeouts.
I think the worst choice was to go for two. The Panthers made a PAT to cut it to seven. A penalty meant they could retry from the one, so Canales opted to go for two. That in and of itself was faulty because it was pretty early in the second half, but then Canales decided to drop back in shotgun and pass after having very little success through the air all day. Again, Dowdle should've been celebrating in the end zone.
And to top it all off, the offense, a.k.a Canales' unit, was unprepared. Ejiro Evero came to play, and his defense was wildly impressive tonight. Canales' offense turned three interceptions into three points, and not being prepared to play is an issue with Canales-led teams. It's something, one of many things, that the second-year coach has to improve on.
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