With wins in four of their last five games and the 1-8 New Orleans Saints waiting for them at home, the Carolina Panthers were supposed to spread their wings here in Week 10. But they failed to fly.
Sunday’s disappointing 17-7 loss to the Saints shed some light on the limitations of Carolina’s passing game, particularly when their rushing attack is contained. The Panthers finished with 102 yards through the air, averaging a paltry 3.8 yards per attempt—even as their backfield produced just 73 yards of their own.
Head coach Dave Canales was asked about the shortcomings of the offense, and shouldered the blame.
“I think it’s just timing and rhythm—but also it’s the choices, the type of passes. That’s something that starts with me,” Canales replied. “And I gotta make sure I look at that and make sure we’re putting our guys in the right situations with the matchups and leverages that we’re working with to give them access so that Bryce [Young] feels confident to throw to the guys in different spots.”
Young completed 17 of his 25 throws for 124 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. That underwhelming output came off a season-low 102 passing yards from Young in last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers.
Canales was later asked how he thought his starting quarterback performed.
“I think he’s throwing the ball great,” he stated of Young. “I think he’ll have some plays that he’ll tell you he’d like to have back. But in general, this is not about Bryce. This is about me, this is about our group, this is about us taking the steps so we can be a balanced offense.”
Carolina totaled 175 yards on the afternoon and failed to convert on six of their nine third-down attempts.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers HC Dave Canales speaks on struggles of his passing offense

