Dave Canales made the protection issue impossible to ignore after the Panthers’ 27-19 loss to the Packers on Thursday night, and he said he plans to address it quickly.
Bryce Young never really got a clean runway at Lambeau Field. Carolina’s offense was under pressure all game, and Young was taken down six times in a defeat that dropped the Panthers to 3-4 while Green Bay moved to 5-3.
Young finished 23-of-41 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The final sack was the one that stung most: with 22 seconds left on Carolina’s last drive, Dani Dennis-Sutton got to him and effectively ended the comeback push.
The Panthers still had a chance to hang around in the fourth quarter after Jalen Coker turned Young’s 26-yard pass into a touchdown. But Carolina couldn’t convert the two-point try, and that left the deficit intact.
Chuba Hubbard carried the load on the ground and through the air, finishing with 22 rushing attempts for 81 yards and a touchdown. He also added seven catches for 38 yards.
Carolina’s offensive line took another hit with Taylor Moton sidelined. He was placed on injured reserve because of a fractured fibula, a loss Young didn’t brush off.
The quarterback spoke glowingly about Moton’s impact, saying, “Such a great human being. Such a great guy.
He's so much of the glue for us in the locker room. Obviously, he's been with us for a long time.
That veteran presence means so much. He worked so hard to get back to where he was,” said the former No. 1 pick.
Even in defeat, Young’s night looked cleaner than his rough Week 7 outing against Tampa Bay. Carolina now turns to a Week 9 meeting with the Broncos.
In Other News...
Christian Watson's Scary Night Changed Panthers-Packers In A Way Fans Felt
The night took a sharp turn for Green Bay when Christian Watson came down with a 53-yard catch and then left with a broken rib that sent him to the hospital. Even so, the Packers receiver came back into the game and finished with eight catches for 113 yards, a gritty showing that helped shape the way the matchup with Carolina unfolded.
Watsons return became one of the defining images of the night, especially for a Panthers defense that had to keep dealing with him after the injury scare. Packers safety Xavier McKinney and coach Matt LaFleur both praised the way Watson kept going, and his determination ended up being part of the story behind Green Bays victory. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Rookie Has Become One Of Carolinas Few Defensive Bright Spots
The Panthers left Lambeau Field with another frustrating loss, falling 27-19 to the Packers and slipping below .500, but rookie safety Zakee Wheatley gave them one of the few defensive moments worth remembering. Wheatley picked off his first NFL pass and continued what has quietly become a promising start in the secondary, offering a small but meaningful bright spot for a unit that has struggled to find consistency.
Carolinas defense is now moving into a new phase after the club fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero following the game, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already unsettled season. For a team trying to stabilize itself, Wheatleys emergence matters because it hints at something the Panthers have not had enough of on that side of the ball: young players who look ready to grow into bigger roles. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Canales Just Became Carolinas Biggest Question
The Panthers have already made one major midseason move on the defensive side, firing coordinator Ejiro Evero and assistant Jonathan Cooley while promoting Todd Wash to oversee that group. It is the kind of shakeup that usually signals a team trying to stop a slide before it gets worse, and with Carolina sitting at 3-4 after two straight losses, the pressure around the building is starting to spread well beyond one side of the ball.
Dave Canales is now at the center of that conversation. The offense has not consistently matched the urgency of the moment, and with the defense being reworked in-season, the Panthers are left hoping the entire operation settles down quickly. For a team trying to stay afloat in a crowded NFC race, the bigger question may be whether the coaching changes can stabilize things, or whether they only underline how much more work still needs to be done. [Read more 🡒]