Dave Canales feels justified in his predictions with the playoffs in sight
The Carolina Panthers control their own destiny after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a pivotal NFC South Week 16 matchup. If the Panthers win their final two games, they will clinch the division title for the first time since 2015. And as the team prepares to against the Seattle Seahawks on sunday, Dave Canales recalled the statement he made before the start of the season.
“I don’t think people will want to play with us,” Canales told reporters back in July. On Friday, with 16 weeks in the books and several impressive wins under his belt, the Panthers head coach discussed his bold prediction.
“I knew what we had in this building from a player standpoint. My question was, how quickly can we become a team? How quickly can we become the 2025 Carolina Panthers? Because our style of play, the things that are important to us, the things that we believe in, that’s what’s most important. And if we can get this group together to play really good football on a consistent basis, can we handle it, can we handle it,” per CNC Charlotte’s Danielle Stein.
The Panthers eye the division crown after a Week 16 win over the Bucs
“I knew that and I wanted our players to know that. That was the message for our group. To understand that, let’s go. It’s a new year, we have new challenges ahead of us. Let’s attack it with everything we have, all of us together. And just really trying to raise the confidence of the group … How quickly we can find a good ball together. That was our goal to find another opportunity in front of us. We added the best football.”
The Panthers bounced back from a disappointing Week 15 loss to the New Orleans Saints with a huge win over the Buccaneers. Carolina improved to 8-7 ace Bryce Young led the team to victory despite an ankle injury.
The Panthers beat the Los Angeles Rams back in Week 13. Now the team will play another NFC West game on Sunday as Carolina hosts the Seahawks. Assuming Tampa Bay wins their Week 17 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, the Panthers will play the Bucs for the division title in the regular season finale.
2025-12-27 09:28:00
