From an offensive pass interference to other calls not going their way, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales was asked about it all. Carolina had a chance to put itself in place to win the NFC South Division on Saturday, but lost 16-14 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Saturday’s game was played in steady rain and on a soggy field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Canales tried to get his Panthers into position to win at different times, but the NFL’s refereeing crew called some questionable penalties against them.
What Did Panthers HC Dave Canales Say About Penalties?
On the play share below, the referees called offensive pass interference on Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. However, there were voices online that disagreed with the call entirely.
McMillan was headed downfield and trying to get open for Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, but that didn’t happen.
This nullified a 32 yard reception for @Panthers . Called Off Pass Int against the WR. 1st, the ball wasn’t in the air so can’t call that. 2nd, it’s within 1st 5 yards. Finally, this is every play with press coverage. @Buccaneers huge break. We’re in FG range. pic.twitter.com/c3PKBrBKoD
— Kevin Kelley (@coachkelley1) January 3, 2026
When asked about the calls after the game, Canales really didn’t want to get involved in any chatter about them.
“I don’t really want to get into that because we just didn’t play well enough, offensively speaking,” Canales told reporters, according to Pro Football Talk. “We didn’t get our run game going.
“A bad day on third down, which doesn’t give us an opportunity to extend the drives and really have a balanced offense the way that we can play,” Canales said. “Some missed opportunities out there. So it really just has to be on us and about the execution and all of us making sure we’re, you know, in the right plays at the right time.”
After the loss by Carolina, what does it mean to the NFC South Division picture? The Panthers will now have to watch from home as the Atlanta Falcons clash with the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.
Should the Falcons beat the Saints, the Panthers would win the division by way of the round-robin tiebreaker among three 8-9 teams — Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta.
It’s going to be a tough pill to swallow if things don’t fall the Panthers’ way. They might even look back at those questionable calls on Saturday and wonder what might have been this season.
