4 Panthers Already on Thin Ice After Inexcusable Week 1 Blowout

2. Dave Canales - Head Coach

Every single facet of the Panthers was horrible. Offense, defense, special teams, you name it. Dave Canales was supposed to bring in a new era of competent play, but this was as bad as anyone could've thought possible.

Numerous turnovers, a blocked punt, easy Saints scores, etc., were all significant issues during the 37-point loss. Everything points back to the coach, and Canales might be the fastest new coach in history to be on the hot seat. If Panthers fans thought things couldn't get worse after a 2-15 finish in 2023, Canales proved them wrong.

The team can only go up from here, though that's exactly what everyone thought going into the season. Things are bad and there's no real light at the end of the tunnel.

Making matters worse, this loss came against a lackluster divisional opponent that many thought Carolina could beat. Dennis Allen is considered one of the worst head coaches in the NFL, yet he thoroughly out-performed Canales and left no room for questioning which team was better prepared.

Canales will have plenty of time to correct his mistakes and get this roster back to a competitive place. However, if the Panthers can't improve against the Chargers in Week 2 or Raiders in Week 3, calls for his job will start humming.

Everyone deserves blame, but no individual deserves more than Canales for this disastrous debut.