The Carolina Panthers are battling for an NFC wild-card berth. Unfortunately for the Panthers and their fans, Monday night’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers showed just how far away the team is from being a true contender in what is looking like the best conference this season.
It’s not that Carolina didn’t have opportunities, such as when Bryce Young turned the ball over on first-and-goal from the one-yard line.
“Missed opportunity, and there were a lot of moments like that, and that certainly was one of them,” Canales said of the interception, per the Panthers’ official website. “We just have to be able to carry our execution, regardless of where it’s at, what time it’s played, who the opponent is, we have to focus on those things and make sure that we come out of the game with good football.
“And I didn’t feel like we did collectively. There were spots where some really good football was played in areas, but certainly from an offensive standpoint, with the penalties, putting us into some bad situations on some first and 20s and things like that.
It makes it harder, and so those are some of the things that we’re talking about. And then just the basics of it, the blocking and throwing, and catching. The things that we have to really come back to and improve.”
Young also knows that things have to be cleaner moving forward.
“I’ve got to do a better job executing,” Young said after the game, via the team’s website. “Obviously, I’ve got to take care of the ball. I’ve got to do a better job of making plays go today. I take all ownership in that, and we have a locker room of guys that do that.
“So, you know, we’ve just got to be better. Again, there’s not some magical fix. It’s us buckling down and playing good football. Didn’t get that done on offense today. Again, it sucks, but it’s a quick week. We’ve got to be able to flush it quick, and on to the next one.”
It’ll be interesting to see what the second half of the season has in store for the Panthers.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.