Dave Canales won't get fired, but Panthers coach should face questions

The Carolina Panthers often come out unprepared. They were unprepared in two ugly losses to the New Orleans Saints, the second of which came after a literal week off. They were unprepared for the entire first two games of the season.

There are a myriad of things that impact losses like this, but when this happens routinely, it's got to fall on coaching. And too many times, the coaching has cost this team a chance at crucial wins.

The Panthers lost twice to the Saints, once to the Cardinals, and once to the 49ers, and all of those games came down to poor coaching. Against the Cardinals, the offense wasn't ready to play for a few drives, falling behind after being rusty all week in the opener, and then Canales fell apart with a chance to win it late.

Against the Saints the first time, the head coach didn't have his team ready to play after a big road win. At home against a one-win team, his offense was atrocious, and his refusal to abandon his game plan that wasn't working hurt.

The 49ers game was another bad game plan, this time allowing his running backs, who were averaging over six yards per carry, to run the ball nine times, and he routinely got cute in weird situations and cost the Panthers.

Nov 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Finally, against the Saints, he once again did not have his team ready to play. They played better than the first time, but 17 points against the Saints is not inspiring, nor is a loss that was marred by penalties. That's a coaching issue.

And to make matters worse, it came after a bye week, so there's zero excuse for a lackluster performance. Canales has game planned the Panthers to a couple of wins this year, but he's also lost them a few as well.

And with a chance to take a game lead and set up next week's game as a possible clincher for the Panthers, he fell completely flat. The growth he's shown this year and how much better this team has played overall is inspiring, and it's why Canales won't get fired.

But he should face scrutiny for this, and if the Panthers crumble further down the stretch, his seat should warm up yet again.

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