The Biggest Decision Dave Canales Got Right Against the Bears

When a team gives up 59 points, there usually isn’t much time spent talking about what the head coach got right.

That is exactly where the Panthers find themselves after Sunday.

There were mistakes everywhere against Chicago. The defense couldn’t get off the field, Carolina gave up 291 yards on the ground, and the Panthers walked away with a 59-37 loss. Dave Canales will have plenty to clean up before this team takes the field again.

However, there was one decision he made that I believe could be bigger than just one game.

He never took the ball out of Bryce Young’s hands.

Carolina could have backed off once things started going bad. Canales could have tried to protect his quarterback or simply get through the rest of the afternoon. Instead, he kept letting Young play. The QB finished with 361 yards and three touchdowns and continued attacking even as the Panthers watched the game slip away.

Carolina didn’t win, and nobody is going to celebrate scoring 37 points when the other team scores 59. But Canales showed something on Sunday that could matter long after everyone forgets the final score. This is Bryce Young’s offense, and Canales coached as if he believed it.

Canales Let Bryce Young Be the Guy

At one point, I really wondered if Coach Canales questioned how much he could put on his young quarterback’s shoulders. Could he just give Bryce the ball and trust him to make the decisions that could lead them to wins? If the game was on the line, would he let Bryce loose and allow him to go win the game?

I believe those questions were answered on Sunday. Even when faced with adversity, Canales and play-caller Brad Idzik continued to be aggressive and let Bryce be the man to lead the team.

For many teams, this isn’t a big deal. However, we are just one season removed from Young being benched in favor of Andy Dalton. This had to be a difficult moment for a young quarterback who had been the No. 1 pick in the draft to suddenly find himself on the bench behind a veteran quarterback.

Canales allowed Young to continue to work and improve his game. When he felt like it was time, he put him back in, and the improvement since then has been nothing short of remarkable.

Sunday, his defense was struggling, and they simply could not stop the Bears' offense. Canales could have changed his approach, but he never stopped trusting his quarterback. He continued to let him throw the football and make plays.

I think Canales sent a pretty clear message to Panthers fans on Sunday. We may not know what this season holds or how far this team can go, but we know who Canales is trusting to get them there.

This is Bryce Young’s team now.

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