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David Newton
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales went to bed early Thursday night, so he didn’t see the Atlanta Falcons rally from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29-28 and put his team two wins from making the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
But that won’t change his approach to Sunday’s game against the Saints, understanding the advantage Carolina (7-6) gained over Tampa Bay (7-7) will disappear with a second loss to New Orleans (3-10) this season.
«It’s the same process we’ve had all year: Every game is a championship opportunity,» Canales said Friday. «Where we’ve been even before the game last night, approaching this game and respecting the opponent and the challenge we have in front of us, that’s got to be the focus.
Jaycee Horn from the concussion protocol was welcome news for a team that gave up 282 passing yards and two touchdowns in the first game against Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.
Horn, for one, isn’t surprised Carolina is in position to make the playoffs. He told fans last year after a win in Munich that they should «jump on the bandwagon while you can.»
On Friday, after watching the entire Falcons-Buccaneers game, he reminded that Carolina still had to take care of business in New Orleans.
«It’s just a blessing,» Horn said of being in this position. «We’ve still got to focus on going 1-0 every week, every day, really.»
