What Dave Canales said after Bryce Young-led Carolina Panthers beat Giants in OT

A dominant day from Chuba Hubbard.

A mistake-free day from Bryce Young.

And three forced turnovers by this maligned but on-the-mend Carolina Panthers’ defense.

Toss that recipe together, and you get the Carolina Panthers (3-7) triumphing at Allianz Arena in Germany over the New York Giants (2-8) in overtime by a score of 20-17 — the final score coming off the game-winning right foot of Eddy Piñeiro.

The Panthers are now winners of back-to-back games for the first time since December 11, 2022, when Steve Wilks served as the team’s interim leader.

Head coach Dave Canales answered to the totality of the Panthers’ performance Sunday in his postgame press conference. Catch the highlights of that below.

Among the high-interest topics he addressed included the future of Young — the franchise’s second-year quarterback and No. 1 overall draft pick who, at least at this point, hasn’t been named the team’s starter indefinitely.

“Bryce is certainly making a statement to all of us,” Canales said.

Dave Canales opening statement

“The guys just wouldn’t quit. We just wouldn’t go away. The defense just continued to play. Offensively, we were just trying to find some wins right there at the end. But to see a ball punched out, in overtime. Sometimes it takes a little longer than regulation. But I’m really proud of this group and the finish that we continued to play with.

“And finding a way to come away with these games at the end.”

Strategy defensively on that last drive in regulation

“Really our strategy was just playing our coverages. We were counting on our rush. Our rush had a nice little boost of energy from DJ Wonnum coming in there and really creating some pressure outside. A’Shawn Robinson from the interior showing some great rush as well. So again, it was just about rallying up and tackling in some of those situations. And guys playing their leverage, which we missed a few early on, but they corrected it and got back to playing the ball that we needed to.

“And I thought we were tough against the run game, but then they end up putting a drive together at the end of the game, where they were trying to find some of their cutback runs and some lanes there. But we tightened it up, and I just loved striking the ball, the things we preach about, just attacking it the whole time. And for it to show up in overtime when we needed it was huge.”

On DJ Wonnum’s resilience and impactful Panthers debut

“It’s an amazing story of adversity for DJ to overcome some setbacks and to find himself back on the field. And just the whole process. I gotta give credit to ... all of the return-to-play guys who were working tirelessly to get him back out to the point where he felt confident. And bringing it back into practice so we knew he could handle the amount of reps he could get in a game. It was great by the whole group.”

How do you feel the trajectory of the season is going?

“I just love that we’re building off of weeks. And that’s been the goal. Can we improve from the week before? We saw a great improvement in the run game again from both sides, which was huge. We gotta clean up the penalties. That’s something we’ll attack and talk about with our guys. Because that really did give them some more opportunities. But to me, it’s about that weekly improvement. It’s about just setting our trajectory where we could just have that mental discipline to come back every Monday, correct it, attack it on Wednesday and see the improvement. And that’s what’s happening for our group.”

On the defense finally gelling after all the injuries

“Absolutely. And Jordan Fuller is a big part of that too. I just talked about DJ Wonnum. But also Jordan getting himself back to a point where he can be back out there, and to see the communication, and the things that were happening on the back half was great. To see the guys being all on the same page was really refreshing.”

Defensive stand that ended in Josey Jewell interception

“And on that drive, offensively, we gotta find a way to finish. And Bryce had a beautiful throw on a third down to get us a new set of downs. And we had two runs, didn’t make a lot, but we took some time off the clock, we were hoping to put a little bit more pressure on them. But I gotta take my hat off to the Giants, and Brian Daboll and Daniel Jones just taking the ball down there on that last drive to send it into overtime.”

On the Panthers’ rookies playing well

“Yes, absolutely. The rookies have done a great job of just applying the principles and the fundamentals of what we’re teaching them and talking about. I was really proud of Ja’Tavion (Sanders) getting his first touchdown of his career. Really proud of those guys. (Jalen) Coker, our rookie, had a couple balls get away from him today. He’ll make those plays. I got a lot of trust in him. But it was exciting to see the guys run around and play fast again.”

Playmakers on defense showing up

“Absolutely. It’s about the physical nature of what we’re looking for. There were some big hits out there. All the way through. It happens when everyone’s playing defensive, team football, and you’re in position. Those plays come to you, and you’re able to exemplify your toughness and the physicality of the sport when you’re right in position to make those plays. And so those guys did a great job of that.”

How did Chuba Hubbard respond to the contract extension?

“I mean, career high. And went after it. But he was the same Chuba. I expected nothing less. It’s the consistency of the guy. He showed up again and ran hard. And ran the runs the way we wanted to versus the different looks. And they made it challenging on us. But we found some wins in there, and we were able to finish the ball running it like we wanted it.”

Your worry level as Chuba Hubbard went down?

“I always feel for my guys. If I see one of our players on the ground, that always concerns me. But it was great to see him do some checks and balances, get up on his feet, and that was great for us to finish.”

On who will start for the Panthers at QB next week

“Yeah. I’m so proud of Bryce. I’m so proud of him taking the next step again. I thought he had a great day. I thought it could’ve been a fantastic day. I thought a few balls got away from us a couple of times that would’ve really turned it into an exceptional day, but he handled the rush well. He handled the different coverage looks well. And all that. So again, we’ll take all the information, we’ll do all that, but Bryce is certainly making a statement to all of us. I just can’t tell you how proud I am of weekly progress, and that’s the goal for all of us.”

Update on Miles Sanders, who left the game with an injury?

“Miles has an ankle/foot deal right now.”

What was memorable about Sunday at Allianz Arena?

“The environment. It was absolutely electric in the stadium. The stadium itself is beautiful. The energy from the crowd, it’s nonstop. It goes like a soccer match. The energy stays the whole time, and then there’s the ebbs and flows as the big plays happen. But just the whole situation, all the lights, the different jerseys out there. And there was a good following of Panthers, as things were working in our favor, I could hear it, the noise starting to climb. I could hear.

“When we were on defense, they were making noise for the other team. So it was just great. It was a great experience overall. A beautiful city. A great opportunity for us to go around and see, but we told the guys, we came here to win a football, and ultimately, that’s what we’ll remember. So it was a special trip.”

When will you make a decision at QB?

“I can’t tell you that right now. But, you know, certainly Bryce made a great statement for himself today.”

Share any words with Eddy Piñeiro before that game-winning kick?

“Absolutely not. I just let Eddy be Eddy. He went out there, he had his process, he went through it, just like he would on any other kick. And we always talk about: the bigger the moment, the smaller the focus. Focus on your fundamentals, take your approach the same way you do every time. And he got it done for us.”