The Carolina Panthers of 2023 would’ve went away quietly if they faced what the Carolina Panthers of 2024 faced today. And that was a minor triumph in and of itself, even if the afternoon didn’t end with an actual victory.
Hopes of a winning streak seemed all but dead for the Panthers near the end of the third quarter in Sunday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Kicker Evan McPherson had just booted through a 56-yard field goal, giving the Bengals a 31-14 lead at the 2:52 mark.
But instead of completely folding, Carolina fought back—squeezing Cincinnati’s once-mountainous edge into a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. Head coach Dave Canales chatted with reporters about his squad’s resilient effort in the eventual 34-24 loss.
“For me, it’s about that one-week progression. It’s about every day, getting better and better at our systems,” Canales said of pushing through a season of growing pains. “Again, we’re still learning all these things and coming together with the communication and all that. And it’s been better, week after week.
“My approach is the weekly approach. The Bengals were our opponent, we saw what they did, we saw the schemes that they had, we had great calls against it and it comes down to execution. So I thought we took a step in some areas, but it wasn’t enough to win and that’s the ultimate goal—is to win the football games and we didn’t get that done.”
One area that the Panthers really took a step in was their ground game. Carolina, behind another standout performance from running back Chuba Hubbard, rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown on 29 attempts.
The passing game also put in some encouraging work. Quarterback Andy Dalton was not as sharp as he was in the Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but he did find wideouts Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette for a couple of solid touchdown connections.
But, as Canales stated, the ultimate goal was still a bit out of reach on this day.
