Panthers, Bucs, and a Tight NFC South: Dave Canales Keeps Carolina Focused as Division Race Heats Up
A week ago, Dave Canales wasn’t on the sideline barking out plays or managing clock situations. He was at home, remote in hand, watching his next opponent-the New Orleans Saints-take down his old team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But make no mistake: the Panthers head coach was locked in.
“I got to be honest, I got a little emotionally involved in the game,” Canales admitted. “It impacts all of us in this division.”
That game mattered. A lot.
With the Panthers coming off their bye and the NFC South still up for grabs, every snap between division rivals carries playoff implications. Carolina, now sitting at 7-6, heads into Sunday’s matchup against the Saints with a chance to not only avenge an earlier loss this season but also take a major step toward clinching the division crown.
Was Canales rooting for the Saints against Tampa Bay? He didn’t say it outright-but he didn’t exactly hide it either.
“Anything that helps, right?” he said with a grin.
Canales, of course, is no stranger to the Bucs. He spent the 2023 season as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, helping to resurrect Baker Mayfield’s career after a turbulent stretch with Cleveland, Carolina, and the Rams. Now in his first year leading the Panthers, Canales has made his mark-most notably by helping Bryce Young rebound after a rocky start to the season that saw the young quarterback benched for two games.
The turnaround has been one of the more underrated stories in the league this year. After a 5-12 campaign in 2023, the Panthers are now in the driver’s seat in the NFC South.
But the job’s far from done. With games against the Saints and Bucs looming, the division is still very much up for grabs.
Canales didn’t stay up to watch Thursday night’s Bucs-Falcons game-at least not all of it. “I watched the first half,” he said.
“But 8 o’clock kicks here, so it’s around 10 o’clock. Got to sleep with the workday in front of me.”
He woke up to find out the Falcons had rallied from a 14-point deficit to edge the Bucs. A dream scenario for Carolina, sure-but Canales knows better than to look too far ahead.
“If I’m asking the guys to be focused on this week, I have to as well,” he said.
Here’s the math: if the Panthers beat the Saints this Sunday and then take care of business against the Bucs in Charlotte on Dec. 21, they’ll clinch the NFC South. But if Tampa Bay can sweep Carolina over the next three weeks, they’ll keep their grip on the division crown.
That’s a big “if” right now.
The Bucs are reeling. After a 5-1 start, they’ve dropped five of their last six. The frustration boiled over last week, when head coach Todd Bowles delivered a fiery, expletive-laced message in the locker room following a one-point loss to Atlanta.
“It’s a player-driven team in the last four or five weeks,” Bowles said. “You’ve got to execute and they’ve got to hold each other accountable.”
Bowles didn’t mince words. He called out a “small select few” who he believes are costing the team wins. “Until that happens, it’s not going to get right,” he warned.
It’s a stark contrast to the energy coming out of Carolina. The Panthers are playing with confidence, and there’s a noticeable buy-in to Canales’ message-one that’s rooted in relentless positivity and belief.
Mayfield once called him an “optimist bully,” a guy who brought infectious energy to the building every single day. That same vibe is now fueling a Panthers team that looks nothing like the one that stumbled out of the gate.
Bowles, for his part, still has respect for his former offensive coordinator. “Dave has done a great job of sticking with who he is and getting his message across to those guys,” he said. “No matter whether they won or lost, his attitude and the way they went about learning from their losses and getting better that next week has really resonated with those guys.”
And it’s showing.
On paper, the Bucs might have the more talented roster. They’re getting healthier, with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, and Bucky Irving all back in the mix. But talent alone isn’t enough when execution and accountability are lacking-and right now, Tampa Bay is searching for both.
Bowles insists job security isn’t on his mind. “I don’t think I worry about it at all,” he said.
“Players play and coaches coach. I think we’re in a situation where we’re right back in it and our only focus is to win the ball game.”
Meanwhile, Canales is doing everything he can to keep his team locked in on the task at hand. The Saints already beat the Panthers once this season, a 17-7 win in Charlotte. That loss still lingers, and Canales knows his team can’t afford to look ahead.
“Everybody watched the [Bucs-Falcons] game,” he said. “But we understand, that’s for next week.
We’re playing the Saints this week. It’s going to take everything we have to win this game.”
The NFC South might not be the flashiest division in football, but it’s shaping up to deliver one of the most intriguing finishes. And with Canales steering the Panthers and the Bucs fighting to stay alive, the next few weeks are going to be must-watch football.