Dave Canales has a degree in business administration. But after his Panthers eliminated the Cardinals, 36-30, in overtime on Sunday, he was a chief marketing executive. As a result, his players and the rest of the league know what to expect from Carolina next season.
“To be able to show our style,” Canales said, “great effort, great enthusiasm, great toughness, playing smart and finish, the final piece of that, it was really special to me so that we can feel what that feels like, to play our brand of football.”
Credit Canales because eight weeks ago, quarterback Bryce Young was relegated to second string, Carolina was 1-6 and the team’s only brand of football was serving as a league doormat. Then, Andy Dalton injured his thumb in a car accident, Young re-entered the lineup and the Panthers haven’t looked back. In six of their last seven games, Young and the Panthers have walked off the field within one score. Opponents have walked off the field with respect for Canales.
Chuba Hubbard has taken that newfound respect and run straight into the Panthers’ future. In overtime of Sunday’s win, he carried three times for 56 yards. And after D.J. Wonnum sacked Kyler Murray to force an Arizona punt, the Panthers handed Hubbard the ball twice on a two-play drive. He took the first carry for 28 yards and the second for a 21-yard, game-ending touchdown. Hubbard finished with 152 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
Young carried, too, showing mobility he’s rarely flashed since his days at Alabama. The quarterback registered a career-best 68 rushing yards, including his longest run as a pro, a 34-yard scramble that set up his own 23-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
He also put the Panthers in position to win with precision touchdown tosses to Adam Thielen, which opened a 20-3 lead in the second quarter, and David Moore, which gave Carolina a 30-20 advantage early in the fourth quarter.
“I think this is big for us,” said Young, who is 3-5 since returning to the lineup and finished 17 of 26 for 158 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers on Sunday. “We talked about this last part of the season being a great opportunity, just for us to finish, to set the tone for the future, kind of just lay the foundation of where we want to go.
“It’s a week-to-week league. We’re just in this week; we can only do one week at a time. But just having that point of emphasis and then coming out and executing, having a great team win today.”
The Panthers (4-11) are now 2-1 this season in overtime games. They travel to Tampa Bay next week before finishing the season at Atlanta.
For more information on the Panthers and Cardinals, visit the Carolina and Arizona team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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