Panthers coach Dave Canales defends fumbled flea flicker after loss to Bucs

The Carolina Panthers' destiny is completely out of their hands after a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, and one play stands out among the reasons why.

With the Panthers down nine points in the fourth quarter, they reached the Tampa Bay 20-yard line and had a real chance to cut the deficit to less than a field goal. That's when head coach Dave Canales, the team's offensive play-caller, decided to get tricky.

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On 1st-and-10, Carolina attempted a flea-flicker with running back Rico Dowdle. Had it worked, quarterback Bryce Young likely would have had an open man in or near the end zone. It did not work, though, as the rainy conditions made Dowdle slip and fumble while turning around to toss the ball back.

The Buccaneers recovered and proceeded to shave six minutes off the game clock.

The Panthers scored a touchdown on their next drive, set up by a 40-yard pass from Bryce Young to Tetairoa McMillan that gave Carolina first-and-goal, but the Bucs bled away almost the entire remaining clock on their next drive.

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Canales defended the flea-flicker call to reporters after the game, painting it as a justifiable call that simply didn't work:

“It was an aggressive call. Knew they were gonna play us in single high right there, and we just — Rico slipped on the exchange and we took a shot right there. I like the call. I like the opportunity that it presented us right there in the red zone to take advantage of it, and we didn’t get that done.”

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, right, tries to recover a fumble by running back Rico Dowdle as Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David, center, tackles him during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. The ball was recovered by Tampa Bay. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken) — Some fans had issues with Dave Canales' decision to call a flea-flicker in the rain on the verge of the red zone in a potentially division-deciding game for the Panthers. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Canales also declined to go into the game's officiating, which had left many Panthers fans unhappy.

However the Panthers lost, there's nothing more to be done. The team's fate will be decided on Sunday in a proxy war between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans. If the Saints win, the Panthers' season is over. If the Falcons win, they win the NFC South with a record of 8-9 and become the NFC's No. 4 seed.