What Dave Canales said after Carolina Panthers’ demoralizing loss to Commanders

The Carolina Panthers just played the worst four quarters of their 1-6 season to date.

And it wasn’t particularly close.

The Washington Commanders, two drives with remarkable rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the rest with backup Marcus Mariota, dismantled the Panthers at Northwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The final score was 40-7, but it felt worse, somehow — a game that was only truly competitive for the first seven plays and three minutes. Those plays constituted the first part of a promising game-opening drive before quarterback Andy Dalton threw a screen pass into the arms of linebacker Dante Fowler Jr., who returned it 67 yards for a touchdown that would reverberate throughout four long quarters.

This 33-point loss ties for the eighth-worst margin of defeat in franchise history, per Stat Muse. Carolina’s worst loss remains a 52-9 shellacking to the Raiders in 2000.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales answered to his team’s performance on Sunday evening. Here are the highlights of his postgame press conference.

Dave Canales: ‘We didn’t look like us early on’

“You gotta take care of the ball if you want to win games and be competitive in this league. Two early ones. Turned into scores. Between giving the ball away and just not being able to get off the field. I think they scored on all but one drive. We’re going to have to get right back to the film and just kind of look at the basics of what we’re trying to do. All across the board. That’s really the story of the game.

“Mustered up a nice drive there at the end of the game. We looked like us. And we didn’t look like us early on. So trying to figure out how to get that consistency to show up for our group so we give ourselves a chance to be competitive in these games.”

Is this loss embarrassing?

“I’m proud of our guys. I’m proud of the work that we do. So for me, I never go to that place. For me it’s about honoring the guys who are there. That try their butts off in practice. And I’m proud of that. But it’s gotta show up on game day. We can have great weeks of practice, or whatever it is, but the carry over, the mentality — that part needs to be consistent for four quarters.”

On Andy Dalton’s second interception from his view

“I gotta watch that one. You know, I was looking at the shell. I think there was a little bit of miscommunication, but we’ll get to the bottom of it. And work through that.”

On Andy Dalton’s performance

“It just wasn’t good enough. And that’s true. And he knows that. And so that’s something that we gotta be honest about in our tell-the-truth Monday, and look at the things we can do better from an execution standpoint.”

Could you detect any deflation from the team?

“Honestly, the way came out and just battled in the second half, they had a good reset mentality to them. There was still some execution stuff that didn’t happen. But to be able to just stay with it. To continue to run hard. To continue to hit. To continue to run the ball the way we wanted to and trying to create some balance and get those first downs. I thought it showed a lot of character for the guys.

“But there are no moral victories. We gotta play good for four quarters. And that’s the part where I gotta continue to just be disciplined about pushing in that direction.”

How do you move forward?

“I just want to see the work, the great work, that we’re doing carry over to the game for four quarters. Where we’re taking care of the football. Where we’re matching our principles the right way. Where we’re getting our runs. And we know that teams are going to get their wins, but we gotta balance this thing out and play good football.

“The trajectory is to find good football. That’s the greatest challenge. Can we just play good ball? So that’s what we gotta get back to.”

Consider going to Bryce Young any earlier in the game?

“After the last drive, after the touchdown drive, if we would’ve gotten the defense off, we would’ve put Bryce in and hopefully to get a couple series there. Just get him out there to play. These are those opportunities to do it. And unfortunately we didn’t get off the field. So we were just relegated to that last drive.”

Committed to Andy Dalton for next week?

“Yes. Committed to Andy.”

Is there a point to consider Bryce Young as QB1 again?

“Right now, it’s just hypothetical. We gotta just get prepared. We gotta look at this film. Get ready for the Broncos right now and move on.”

Should Andy Dalton have thrown the ball away that first interception?

“He certainly could have. There was a guy in the area, and that’s a play where he puts it in the dirt and go to the next down, hopefully converted on third down and gives us a chance to score a touchdown and if not, we’re efficient there, come away with points right there, and we’re playing a normal football.”

Are the defensive woes an issue of scheme, tackling or something else?

“Honestly, I love our scheme. I’ve seen it. Played against it. I’ve seen it in-person now for a good while. And I love our scheme. The challenge for us is to bring a new group together and to kind of start back at the fundamentals as we add these pieces. And we gotta play good, team football.”

If you would’ve been told Jayden Daniels would only play a few series, would you have thought it would’ve been a closer game?

“I don’t know that. I just think, again, it comes down to the ball. So whoever’s playing quarterback for the other team, you give it to them, you give them enough opportunities, and their drives continue to sustain that way, you give them a chance to have success.”