Steve Wilks Shares Postgame Message to the Team

The Carolina Panthers fell short of their goal of making the postseason, but that doesn't erase all of the progress they've made as an organization since Steve Wilks took over for Matt Rhule in early October.

The fact that they were able to position themselves to control their destiny speaks volumes to what not only Wilks has done but the rest of the coaching staff as well, including interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb.

With the postseason now officially out of reach, Carolina will wrap up their season next week on the road in New Orleans. During today's postgame press conference, Wilks shared what his message was to the team in the locker room.

"We didn't do what we wanted to do. They made more plays than what we did today. So, we got to give those guys all the credit. We didn't play according to our DNA which is physicality and effort, which I thought for the most part, you saw that. We didn't play smart. Not at all. But the one thing I stated to those guys, the last element, that's what we're going to do this week. We're going to finish. That's what men do. That's what good football teams do regardless of the record, regardless of the circumstances. We're going to come in tomorrow and put this game to bed and have a great week of practice with that leading to gameday execution. We're going to finish next week. That's our mindset."

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