Once the San Francisco 49ers went ahead 7-0 on their first drive of the game, the Carolina Panthers tried hard to come back. They even had a solid chance on the 1st and goal play at the 1:30 mark in the first quarter. Quarterback Bryce Young launched the ball to tight end Mitchell Evans, standing near the finish line of the end zone. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown intercepted the pass. Head coach Dave Canales was disappointed, but he liked the aggressive play from his signal caller.

“It was a great action. He saw Mitch, and right when he turns back in, they had a defender on the edge who popped out and intercepted it. I’d like the call,” Canales said. “It was an aggressive call, a play action that we had opportunities on, and unfortunately came out with an interception.”

That wasn’t the only interception Young threw. The Panthers kept pushing hard but failed to take the lead. At the 6:33 mark in the 4th quarter, the Panthers were behind 20-9. Young darted the pigskin down the middle to the rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan. But Brown intercepted that pass too.

While the referees did not throw any flags, some videos later went viral that showed cornerback Renardo Green holding the rookie’s hands. While the NFL monitoring team might fine Green, the Panthers would have to go back home with their sixth loss of the season.

Dave Canales had a great opportunity to climb to the top of the NFC South division as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also lost their Week 12 game to the Los Angeles Rams. But they missed their chance. Last year, the Panthers finished the season 5-12. They are hoping for a better turnaround in 2025 and sit at a 6-6 record currently.

Improvement needs an all-around effort from everyone, including Young. He could have looked better during the 4th quarter interception, as the rookie was already under pressure.

Bryce Young admits his mistake after the defeat

It was a turnover battle between the two sides. While Young finished the game with 18 of 29 passes for 169 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, the 49ers quarterback, Brock Purdy, completed 23 of 32 passes for 193 yards with 1 score and three interceptions. Purdy also felt the pressure. But Young was more dissatisfied as the Panthers lost. He also came clean about the first-quarter interception.

“It’s football, so (you) do what you have to do. It’s no one’s fault but mine,” Panthers QB said. “That’s part of the position. It’s not fun, but it is what it is.”

However, they had a real chance of scoring. And instead of throwing the ball, Dave Canales’ QB could have trusted their running game. But he was already frustrated with the loss and answered that question with quickness.

“It shouldn’t be a very serious ball,” Young said.

His performance this year has been twisted. They won the Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers on the road, even though Young threw one interception with no score. But the next week’s game against the New Orleans Saints at home ended with a loss, when the signal caller had the same TD-int. ratio.

That’s what Dave Canales needs to pay attention to. Bryce Young has a 15-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio after 12 weeks, which isn’t very great. If they really want to change their outcome this year, they need to make things go in their favor.