Analyst misses mark naming Carolina Panthers' biggest disappointment in 2025

Bryce Young hasn't taken the next step, but that's only because the Panthers do not have the right head coach in place to guide him there.

Sep 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with quarterback Bryce Young (9) after the game at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The front office for the Carolina Panthers should consider Monday night's loss to the San Francisco 49ers to be a game-changer for their franchise.

While not many realistically expected the Panthers to pull off an upset, the way that they lost exposed two major problems at the top of their organization.

Namely, they don't have a quarterback who's dynamic enough to lead this team to the playoffs. More importantly, they don't have a head coach who knows how to build up to get them there.

According to an analysis by Pro Football Network, Bryce Young's production has been the biggest disappoinment for the Carolina Panthers this year.

"In Year 3 of the experiment for the first overall pick, it might be time to call it a day. Through 12 games, he has 2,131 passing yards and 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions. However, far more shocking is that he’s failed to cross 200 yards in all but two outings this season."

Oct 26, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales talks to the official in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

It's fair to state that Bryce Young is a limited quarterback who needs a very strong supporting cast around him to win games.

However, from where we're sitting head coach Dave Canales is the greater obstacle for this team taking the next step forward.

Canales has not only failed to help Bryce Young along and build on the strong work that he had going for him at the end of last season, he has consistently failed to put the best players on the field - from Jimmy Horn and Brady Christensen to Rico Dowdle.

Canales has also had serious issues getting playcalls into Young in a timely manner, setting his QB up for failure in another way. The operation has been sloppy in general for a second-year head coach.

Canales has also not been nearly aggressive enough as a play-caller in at least half of his team's games this season. The vanilla routes that he drew up against the Niners were only the latest example.

If the Panthers are ever going to catch up with the Buccaneers, they need a more aggressive head coach who's going to empower his quarterback (whoever that may be) by giving him the best possible personnel and best possible gameplan to work with every week.

Right now, Canales is not doing that - and it would be a mistake to allow him another year to figure these issues out.

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