Panthers' Dave Canales, Bryce Young accept blame after blowout loss to Patriots

The Carolina Panthers improved to 1-2 on the season via an impressive 30-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 21. 

Thus, it was somewhat surprising that Carolina suffered a 42-13 blowout loss at the New England Patriots (2-2) on Sunday afternoon. Following that result, second-year Panthers head coach Dave Canales accepted blame for all that went wrong at Gillette Stadium. 

Dave Canales names "common denominator" after loss

"When it happens in all phases, I’m the common denominator, and I have to take responsibility for that," Canales said, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. "I have to make sure I’m pushing the guys the right way. I have to evaluate what we’re doing, how we’re working, how we’re preparing our guys. I felt confident about that part, but we’re not getting the results. So, this is something that I have to just really press in and make sure we’re not overlooking anything and making sure we’re having the right combination of guys out there in every phase." 

While the 2024 Panthers went 5-12 under Canales, the play of quarterback Bryce Young throughout the campaign's second half indicated that his working relationship with the current Carolina coaching staff was producing positive results. That said, Young had a relatively quiet day versus New England as he completed 18-of-30 passes for 150 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. 

According to ESPN stats, Young ranks 26th in the NFL among qualified players with a 41.6 adjusted QBR and 29th with a 77.1 passer rating. Over the season's first four games, he accounted for six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) and three interceptions. 

Bryce Young discusses accountability after latest loss

"It's on me,'' Young said about the loss to the Patriots, per
David Newton of ESPN. "It's on everybody in that locker room. We talked about that after. We all take accountability. We all have to look in the mirror. We all have to understand what we can do better. It's definitely not on one person. It's all of us that have to be better.''

Canales isn't benching Young ahead of the Panthers' Week 5 home game against the Miami Dolphins (0-3). The coach also isn't relinquishing offensive play-calling duties or making any staff changes before October gets underway. 

The winless Dolphins host the 0-3 New York Jets on Monday night. As of Monday morning, ESPN BET had Miami as a 2.5-point favorite for that contest.