The San Francisco 49ers didn’t need fireworks on offense to handle the Carolina Panthers on Monday night. They controlled things from start to finish, walked out with a 20–9 win, and never really looked threatened. Still, the moment everyone was talking about came after the clock hit zero.

As players met at midfield, Jauan Jennings suddenly swung at Carolina safety Tre’von Moehrig. It looked out of character for the Niners’ receiver until replays surfaced from a late Christian McCaffrey run. Moehrig appeared to take a cheap shot below the belt on Jennings in the pile, and the frustration carried over to the handshake line.

Panthers coach Dave Canales wasn’t thrilled to see one of his guys at the center of that kind of headline.

“I’ll get to the bottom of that. I wanna see what exactly happened and I haven’t had the chance to talk to Trey about it yet. That would be a conversation that I’ll dig into. I’ll talk to him tonight,” Canales said.

Moehrig tried to justify his actions after the game. He said Jennings had been shoving him after whistles and chirping throughout the game, and he finally responded. He also admitted he’s likely looking at a fine.

“He was pushing me in the back and stuff, so, you know. That’s really all it was. There really isn’t much to it. It was just that, you know what I’m saying? Like I said, I’ll take that one. He wanted to do a little dirty stuff, so, it is what it is, man,” he said.

Whether it was worth it is another question. The league has been handing out fines at a remarkable pace this season. They’ve racked up more than $5.5 million already, and this won’t slide by unnoticed. Moehrig will have some explaining to do when he and Canales circle back, and that conversation won’t be helped by the way the Panthers played overall.

Because after what Dave Canales saw from his offense tonight, he doesn’t have a lot to be happy about.

Panthers’ offensive crumble vs 49ers

When the other quarterback hands you three interceptions and you still walk out with a loss, you don’t need a long film session to know something is off. Carolina’s offense never found its footing, stumbling to just 230 total yards and very little rhythm from start to finish.

Bryce Young looked out of sorts again. He finished 18-of-29 for 169 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions that swung momentum the wrong way. The scoring throw: a 29-yard strike to rookie Tetairoa McMillan was one of the few moments that showed why the Panthers still believe in him.

But if Brock Purdy invited mistakes all night, Young answered almost every one with one of his own. And even the one dependable spark the Panthers have had this season, Rico Dowdle, couldn’t get going. He finished with six carries for 38 yards and added four catches for 27 more, but the numbers don’t tell the story.

Carolina barely had the ball long enough for him to matter. By halftime, the Panthers had possessed it for just 10:53 while San Francisco hogged the other 19 minutes. For a team with such limited offensive firepower, that kind of imbalance pretty much nullifies any spark of hope.

It’s not as if anyone expects Carolina’s offense to look like Colts or Detroit. But from the handful of weapons they do have, you at least expect signs of life. Instead, Monday night felt like one long uphill climb with no traction. Dowdle had no room. Young had no rhythm. The receivers had no separation. Everything looked compressed, rushed, and uncomfortable.

Dave Canales has spent most of the year preaching patience and growth. He’s been the steady voice in a rocky season. But at some point, the Panthers have to stop taking steps backward. One or two more nights like this, and the Falcons will start breathing down their necks in the division.