Dave Canales: I certainly hope we didn't overlook the Saints

The Panthers came into Sunday’s home game with a chance to go to 6-4 by beating a one-win Saints team and a sharp opening drive suggested they were on their way to doing just that.

It turned out to be the high point of the day instead. Rico Dowdle’s touchdown run capped a 12-play, seven-minute drive and it also capped the team’s scoring for the afternoon. They did not score again for the remainder of the game and back-to-back turnovers in the second half ended any hopes of beating their NFC South rivals.

After the 17-7 loss, head coach Dave Canales was asked if he thought the team’s players took the Saints too lightly.

“I certainly hope not,” Canales said, via the team’s website. “Our approach is to come back to work every week, regardless of the opponent. We’re in pursuit of our best football. That was not our best today, and we did not let the things that we’ve been successful with come alive today, so we have to make sure that we take the next opponent, look at what they’re doing, and have that type of mentality. Our mindset has to be to find our best, find our best football. It can’t depend on who the opponent. You respect a bunch of pros, and every week they’re going to bring a bus full of pros every week. And so we have to make sure that we’re detailed, we’re locked in, and get back on track with our work.”

Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu said he felt “the preparation this week wasn’t good enough” and the Panthers are going to have to change that to get back on a winning track in Atlanta next Sunday.

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