North Charlotte Today

The Carolina Panthers, with only one game remaining in their season, are focusing on finishing strong despite having no playoff prospects. Head coach Dave Canales confirmed that quarterback Bryce Young and other starters will play in the upcoming match against the Atlanta Falcons.

"Absolutely, our mentality as a team is to finish strong," said Canales. "We have one more opportunity to get back to our football, to play balanced football, complementary football, and the pursuit of that continues this week against the Falcons."

Running back Chuba Hubbard was placed on injured reserve due to a calf strain. Canales clarified it wasn't about resting players since Hubbard's injury had a two-to-four-week recovery period. Meanwhile, running back Miles Sanders has been cleared to return after recovering from an ankle injury sustained in Germany.

"Miles has been cleared," Canales stated. "Last week, he was cleared to be able to play, so I'm really looking forward to getting him back on the field for practice this week."

The Panthers suffered a heavy defeat against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday with a score of 48-14. The defense struggled significantly as they allowed 551 yards and 33 first downs.

"We couldn't stay out there offensively; defensively couldn't get off the field," Canales explained. He acknowledged that both sides of the ball need improvement.

Facing the Falcons this weekend presents another challenge for Carolina's defense as they prepare for one of the league's top rushers, Bijan Robinson.

"They're gonna try to run the ball, so we'll take that first and foremost," said Canales regarding their strategy against Atlanta's offense.

To address their defensive issues, Canales emphasized improving offensive balance starting with third down conversions: "Offensively just try to get right back on track with play a little bit more balanced football and that starts with 3rd down."