The Carolina Panthers are an enigma. On one hand, they are one game out from leading the NFC South and holding the fourth seed in the NFC Playoffs. Just two weeks ago, Carolina beat the No. 1 seed Los Angeles Rams after forcing three turnovers by Matthew Stafford. Yet, Carolina is 7-7 and coming off being swept by the four-win New Orleans Saints after a 17-10 Week 15 defeat.
A controversial moment during Sunday's loss came on a failed fourth-down conversion by running back Chubba Hubbard early in the fourth quarter. With Carolina trailing 17-10 and needing one yard to gain on the Saints' 35-yard line, head coach Dave Canales refrained from using Bryce Young on a quarterback sneak. The decision drew the ire of fans, prompting the second-year coach to explain why his quarterback's slender build led to the play call.
“With Bryce, it's physics. You know, he goes about 190 pounds,” Canales told the media via The Athletic's Joe Person. “And when you have a 220-pound or 230-pound quarterback leaning on the center, that's an advantage. You know, we're not putting a bunch of force that way. I don't see that as an advantage.”
Dave Canales on not using QB sneaks: With Bryce it’s physics. He goes about 190 pounds. pic.twitter.com/rcUd1ZFZnp
— Joe Person (@josephperson) December 15, 2025
Canales continued by using the team's passing aggression to justify the result.
“The other part is, I like the leverage off of some of the formations we use to throw shots down the field. You get into a third-and-inches, and you're in dive or belly-type plays, it allows you to try and throw a keeper or throw a play-action. We've had some success over the course of the last two seasons, finding explosives and short yardage at a higher rate than most teams who are going to sneak it. It's great to have a sneak when you know you can execute it with your quarterback. It's great to have that in your back pocket, but that's not our style. So we just try to maximize our approach.”
Whether their style or not, the Panthers will have to bounce back quickly as they gear up for a pivotal NFC South bout vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that could go a long way in deciding the division winner.
