Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales is wondering if he is the problem.

Every time it looks like the Carolina Panthers are taking a step forward, they take a rather gigantic step back, which was exactly what we saw on Sunday afternoon.

Following a 30-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons the preceding weekend, the Panthers were absolutely hammered by the New England Patriots in Week 4, losing 42-13. It was so bad that Andy Dalton came in to replace Bryce Young late in the game.

So exactly is the problem for Carolina? Is it talent? Is it Young? Or is it Dave Canales? Maybe it really is the latter, and the head coach pointed the finger at himself after the Panthers' latest embarrassing defeat.

“When it happens in all phases, I’m the common denominator, and I have to take responsibility for that,” Canales said, via Joseph Person of the Athletic. “I have to make sure I’m pushing the guys the right way. I have to evaluate what we’re doing, how we’re working, how we’re preparing our guys. I felt confident about that part, but we’re not getting the results."

Carolina actually showed some very positive signs down the stretch last season, winning two of its last three games as it appeared that Young was finally turning a corner. The Panthers then made some significant additions during the offseason, heavily addressing what had been a historically bad defense and also acquiring some more help for Young offensively.

But thus far in 2025, none of that has panned out.

“I believe that I’m the right person to be able to push our concepts and our schemes forward,” Canales added. “I think it’s a combination of a bunch of things. Execution-wise, am I calling the right plays rhythmically for the guys to have success based on what the defense is doing to us on that day? That’s something that I’ll definitely look at, though.”

Well, since being hired in 2024, Carolina has gone just 6-15, so clearly, something is going haywire. While Canales is certainly not the sole reason for the Panthers' lack of success (let's face it: they stunk before they hired him, too), he is definitely not helping.

Carolina is 1-3 and will face the Miami Dolphins next Sunday.