Dave Canales refused to take the easy way out. Faced with a barrage of questionable calls in a season-defining loss, the Panthers head coach had every reason to blame the referees after his team fell 16-14 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead, he turned the criticism inward, putting the blame squarely on his own offense’s shoulders.

“I really don’t wanna get into that because we just didn’t play well enough, offensively speaking,” Canales told reporters in the post-game presser. “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. 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 were in the right place at the right time.”

Dave Canales wasn’t wrong in his assessment. Carolina’s offense struggled throughout the Week 18 game, and some mistakes were very costly. The most glaring error came early in the fourth quarter, when the Panthers squandered a prime scoring chance by fumbling on a first down at the Bucs’ 20-yard line. The monsoon weather conditions, which affected both teams, made execution even more critical for the Panthers.

Still, it’s hard to ignore that the officiating created more issues for Dave Canales’ team. In the third quarter of the game alone, referees made four questionable calls that went against Carolina. One of the most baffling moments came at the 11:45 mark when Carolina’s quarterback, Bryce Young, appeared to throw a backward pass to running back Rico Dowdle. Dowdle dropped the ball, but because the pass was backward, it should have remained live. Instead, officials blew the play dead and initially ruled it incomplete.

Things only got stranger when the refs changed the call to a backward pass that went out of bounds, despite the ball ending up in Dowdle’s hands and never appearing close to the sideline. That decision pushed Dave Canales’ team out of field goal range in a game that they ultimately lost by two points.

Another controversial call went against the Panthers with about five minutes remaining in the third quarter. During the play, Carolina’s wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan battled Bucs’ cornerback Benjamin Morrison downfield and gained 32 yards before Morrison dragged him down from behind. Officials ruled McMillan pushed off, calling offensive pass interference and negating the gain. 

The call was even more puzzling, considering an unflagged penalty moments earlier. Bucs’ linebacker SirVocea Dennis ripped the helmet off Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble, yet officials kept the flags in their pockets. The officiating drew sharp criticism on social media from fans, analysts, and even former NFL players.

So, reporters pressed Dave Canales again after the game to ask whether officiating mattered when the game came down to the final moments. He acknowledged that it played a role, but once again emphasized self-criticism.

“I mean, certainly it’s a factor, but at the same time there’s a whole game that we gotta consider,” Canales told reporters. “And we didn’t get enough done, and that’s what we gotta look at ourselves and the things that we missed. I’m sure there’s gonna be some opportunities that we watch the film, and we are gonna wish we had.” 

Moreover, by losing the Week 18 game, Carolina missed the chance to control its own destiny. Now, the Panthers’ playoff hopes rest elsewhere. 

Can Dave Canales’ team still make the playoffs this season?

The Panthers could have taken care of business in Week 18 and secured a playoff berth themselves. But the 16-14 loss did not completely shut the postseason door for Dave Canales’ team. At 8-9, Carolina’s path to the postseason as NFC South champions is no longer in their own hands; they now require a specific outcome in another game. For now, the 8-9 Buccaneers sit on top of the NFC South. That standing, however, hinges on the outcome of Sunday night’s Week 18 matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. 

If the Saints win or tie, Tampa Bay claims the division and officially knocks Carolina out of the playoff race. But if the Falcons pull off a win, the Panthers would shock the division by winning the NFC South for the first time since 2015. It would also help the Panthers lock up the NFC’s No. 4 seed and earn a home game against the top wild-card team.

As a result, Carolina must rely on outside help from the Falcons to reach the postseason for the first time since 2017. But that won’t be easy, as the Falcons boast a strong 4-1 record in night games and have struggled badly in afternoon contests at 3-8. More than once, the Falcons have followed a prime-time victory with a letdown. Now, the Panthers can only hope that the Falcons beat the Saints, and that officiating or bad weather does not end up deciding another season-defining result. 

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