The Carolina Panthers had a strong offensive showing in Week 1, with 37 points, but allowing 59 points and losing by three touchdowns to the Chicago Bears is the bottom line outcome.
It’s not the way anyone in Carolina would’ve wanted to start the year, including head coach Dave Canales, now in his third season.
Canales can hang his hat on a playoff berth last season, but it comes with the clear caveat that the Panthers got in with just an 8-9 record.
Much like this is a prove-it season for quarterback Bryce Young, this appears to be a prove-it season for Canales, too.
Points scored aside, the optics of a lopsided Week 1 loss can’t be good. Canales may not be able to run with results like that forever.
As Week 2 arrives against the Atlanta Falcons, the Panthers and Canales certainly are in need of a turnaround.
Dave Canales Firing Rumors
Canales certainly appears to be on at least a bit of a hot seat.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon actually thinks that the seat for Canales is “burning hot.”
Gagnon took a look at all 32 head coaches in the NFL and put them into various categories as far as their “hot seat status” after Week 1.
Just three coaches were given the highest label of “burning hot,” with Canales joined by Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles and Colts coach Shane Steichen.
This is how Gagnon summed up the reality for Canales:
“Sneaking into the playoffs with a losing record likely didn’t buy Canales much time with impatient Panthers owner David Tepper. He needs to make progress. A 22-point home loss to start his third season isn’t a great indication of that.”
The NFL is a results-oriented business, and Canales will have to start leading the Panthers to better results on the scoreboard.
Dave Canales Coaching Career
Canales is in his third season as head coach of the Panthers, which is his first NFL head coaching job.
The Panthers went 5-12 under Canales in 2024, then improved that to the aforementioned 8-9 last season before losing in the first round of the playoffs and starting the 2026 campaign with a loss. He’s 13-22 through 35 games at the helm.
Canales earned this gig off the back of a season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ offensive coordinator in 2023.
His background has always been on the offensive side of the ball. Canales came up through the high school and junior college ranks in the state of California, then spent a year as an assistant strength coach at USC before moving to the NFL.
In 2010, he joined the Seattle Seahawks as an offensive quality control coach, eventually moving up to be the wide receivers coach, the quarterbacks coach and the passing game coordinator at various points for Seattle.
Then came his one-year move to Tampa Bay before being hired by the Panthers.
Now, Canales is going to have to work to keep his current gig.
Panthers’ Dave Canales Firing ‘Hot Seat’ on Red Alert