Panthers HC Dave Canales sends clear message to Bryce Young ahead of first NFL playoff appearance

The Carolina Panthers return to the NFL playoffs after a seven-year absence. Now, head coach Dave Canales has made something clear to Bryce Young about how to approach the postseason.

The Panthers made their last playoff appearance in 2018. This season, they are back in the postseason as NFC South champions, but head coach Dave Canales doesn’t want the team to feel overly confident.

Ahead of their game against the Los Angeles Rams, Canales sent a clear message to Bryce Young and the rest of the roster, emphasizing the importance of staying focused and clearing their minds in order to approach this tough matchup the right way.

“It is special, and it’s important that we recognize that, we lean into it and we feed off that energy,” HC Dave Canales said. “At the same time, we’ve got to keep our head about us and execute on the most fundamental parts of it. Because if you get too excited and caught up in the moment, you can sacrifice technique, and sometimes you can go too far and that’s not what I want either.”

The Panthers are not favorites against the Rams

During the 2025 regular season, the Panthers shocked everyone by defeating the Rams. However, Los Angeles has changed significantly since then, which is why another surprise is considered unlikely.

Carolina will have home-field advantage thanks to its division title, and the Panthers will need to take full advantage of it to overcome a team many fans view as the strongest NFC contender this year.

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The Panthers have not won a playoff game since 2015, when they reached Super Bowl 50 with Cam Newton leading the offense. Experience is on the Rams’ side, but Canales proved in the regular-season matchup that Carolina is capable of defying the odds.