SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales has said his offense is built around a physical, power running game, the kind that wears opponents down and opens up the play-action passing game for quarterback Bryce Young.
Trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers, the Panthers had a first-and-goal from the one, but instead of leaning on the rushing attack, Canales called a roll-out pass to tight end Mitchell Evans.
It was picked off.
Young and the offense never got on track. He finished with 169 yards passing, a touchdown and two interceptions in a 20-9 loss. That was a week after he threw for a franchise-record 448 yards in an overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons.
It was a missed opportunity for the Panthers -- a win would have given them the outright lead in the NFC South for the first time this late in the season since 2017.
Starting running back Rico Dowdle, who had at least 18 carries each of the previous three weeks but only six for 38 yards in Monday's loss, posted a confused emoji on X Tuesday.
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Canales admitted he needs to do a better job balancing the attack.
"I have to make sure that comes alive,'' he said. "That's a part of who we are. It's a part of what we believe in. We have two great running backs that we believe in [including Chuba Hubbard]. The offensive line was blocking well, and that was a missed opportunity by me.''
Young's performance can be summed up by his first-half passer rating of 25.0; 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's was 48.4 despite throwing two more INTs in the first two quarters.
Young's inconsistency was highlighted most when blitzed. He was 2-for-6 in the game for minus-1 yard with two interceptions. This against a team that ranks 30th in blitzes and 18th in pressure percentage at 30%.
His 56.8 completion percentage on the season is the ninth-worst rate among qualified quarterbacks, and his five interceptions when blitzed are tied for most in the NFL.
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Instead of being half a game ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5) in the division, the Panthers (6-6) are a half-game back heading into Sunday's game against the NFC-leading Los Angeles Rams (8-2).
"It's kind of frustrating because the defense did their part, and we kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit a couple of times,'' Evans said of the first-and-goal call that didn't work.
Evans didn't question the call. He and Canales noted that, but for the interception, Carolina would have had at least two more plays to turn to the running game.
Canales also didn't call out Young out for the pick, but he did say Young had the option to "run it into the front pylon.''
"It was an aggressive call,'' Canales said. "A play-action that we had opportunities on, and unfortunately [we] came out with an interception.''
Canales called only 13 rushes Monday, even though Carolina averaged a healthy 5.3 yards per run.
"That's the part I can take accountability for, is making sure [the run] is a part of it throughout the process,'' he said. "It gives us great balance.''
McCaffrey, the former Panther, gained 142 scrimmage yards and scored a touchdown. He entered the game averaging 130 scrimmage yards per game.
They now face their biggest task of the season in the Rams, who have won six straight with an average of 30.5 points per game.
The Panthers can't afford to turn the ball over against the Rams like they did on that first-and-goal play Monday.
"I can't put the ball in peril like that, especially in a situation like that,'' Young said. "I take full ownership. That's on me. I have to do a better job of making decisions.''
Canales explained the call by saying he wanted to build on what Young and the offense did the week before, "just taking a step forward with the passing game.''
"It sucks,'' Young said of all the missed opportunities. "But we have a short week, so we have to turn the page.''