Dave Canales' offense was found out in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints. Their NFC South rival put the game in quarterback Bryce Young's hands, restricting the run game and daring the signal-caller to take advantage of one-on-one opportunities on the outside.
It worked. Young was lackluster, and the Carolina Panthers couldn't get anything going offensively. It was an immensely frustrating afternoon at the office, and the lack of explosive plays is quickly becoming a recurring source of frustration across the fan base.
According to Sharp Analytics, the Panthers have an explosive play rate of 4.5 percent this season. This is the same number as the San Francisco 49ers. Only the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints are worse. The Seattle Seahawks — led by former Carolina quarterback Sam Darnold — lead the league with 8.6%.
Dave Canales will call more explosive plays when Carolina Panthers' execution improves
Unsurprisingly, this was broached during Canales's media availability. And the head coach gave a brutal assessment of the team's execution in getting the football downfield quickly.
"In general, I think it's a group effort. Calling more of them, yes, let's get some more opportunities. We'd love to have those explosive plays come alive. I will call them more when we have more success when those things come alive for us. We have to keep working together. We have to keep taking those shots in practice to make sure we feel comfortable with them."Dave Canales
Dave Canales on calling more explosive pass plays: “I’ll call them more when we have more success and those things come to life for us.”#Panthers pic.twitter.com/U7J7jRs12S
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) November 10, 2025
It was brief, but the mask slipped.
Canales is doing what he can with the options available. He's relying on the rushing attack to set the tone. That opens things up elsewhere, but the complications arise almost instantly once early momentum isn't generated.
This did nothing to diminish the speculation around Young's future beyond the 2025 campaign. Some fans have given up entirely, while others are still adopting a wait-and-see approach. But what cannot be disputed is the former Alabama star's limitations when the offense isn't balanced.
Young is a game manager, and a good one. But he is not capable of taking games over without assistance. He's never going to be in the elite tier of signal-callers around the league, but with the right scheme and the right supporting cast, he can have a highly productive career.
What the Panthers are still figuring out is whether this fits into Canales' long-term strategy. There is a noticeable shift in play-calling when Young can't get things going early on. He's a rhythm quarterback, but the talent is there. There is just something missing right now.
All hope is not gone. But the sooner Canales finds out how to make defenses think twice about underestimating his passing attack, the better Carolina's chances will be.