Dave Canales kills Panthers with one of the worst play-calls of the year

A flea flicker was the worst possible call there.

Dec 28, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers have had a horrible day on offense. They had a turnover going into a key drive and only seven points, which came off an interception and needed only 19 yards.

But when the Panthers were moving in the right direction, they got hit with a case of being too cute at the worst possible time. This is a recurring theme, Panthers fans have undoubtedly noticed.

Canales decided that the red zone was a perfect time for a flea flicker, and it backfired. Rico Dowdle fumbled the pitch after falling down, and the Buccaneers took possession, thereby killing any momentum.

This is an inexplicably and unequivocally horrible decision for two main reasons. First, the game situation. A flea flicker is inherently dangerous, but it is most often used to catch the defense sleeping and go over the top.

Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) hands off the ball to running back Rico Dowdle (5) in the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

That's all well and good, but the Panthers were in the red zone. The defense only had 30 yards to cover, so why bother trying to trick them there? Even if it works, they don't have to do much recovering to get back into position to defend the pass.

The other reason it's a bad idea is because of the field. It's not raining now, but it has been pouring. The first half was a monsoon. The ball is wet, and the field is soaked. We've seen Dowdle slip on the field a couple of times already.

So asking him to run, stop, turn around, and flip a wet ball while his feet are not secure is just asking for trouble. Dowdle already changed his cleats to try and help mitigate the issue, so it is insane that that was the decision there.

The defense held and blocked Tampa Bay's field goal to prevent it from furthering their deficit, but it cost them time and points. Worst-case scenario, they could've cut the deficit to six and had plenty of time, but instead, Canales got cute.

This happens way too often. Perhaps it's the growing pains of a second-year coach who has only had three years of playcalling duties, but it hurt at the worst time.

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