SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Panthers head coach Dave Canales echoed the words of a Panthers coach of the past when he referred to Monday's 20-9 loss to the 49ers at Levi's Stadium, and what he saw from an offense that didn't have the same kind of flair as last week.

But if there was one play in particular that epitomized the Panthers' night, it was first-and-goal at the 49ers' 1-yard line, a perfect position to capitalize on a Jaycee Horn interception.

Instead, quarterback Bryce Young threw it to 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown, who made a play in front of rookie tight end Mitchell Evans.

"Missed opportunity, and there were a lot of moments like that, and that certainly was one of them," Canales said of the first-quarter pick. "We just have to be able to carry our execution, regardless of where it's at, what time it's played, who the opponent is, we have to focus on those things and make sure that we come out of the game with good football.

"And I didn't feel like we did collectively. There were spots where some really good football was played in areas, but certainly from an offensive standpoint, with the penalties, putting us into some bad situations on some first and 20s and things like that. It makes it harder, and so those are some of the things that we're talking about. And then just the basics of it, the blocking and throwing and catching. The things that we have to really come back to and improve."

In the macro, those things are all true. But Monday night, that one missed opportunity loomed large.

Young was upset with himself with the play, as he had the option to run for the pylon, but opted for Evans in the back of the end zone.

"Good play by DB, can't put the ball in peril like that, especially in a situation like that," Young said. "Take full ownership, that's on me. I have to do a better job making decisions. Again, it's on me, and we'll wear it for these 24 hours, and then we'll turn the page.

"Again, it's no one's fault but mine. That's part of the position. Again, not fun, but you know, it is what it is. Should have made a better decision with the ball. I take ownership in that."

Asked what he saw on the play, Evans replied: "A lot of dudes."

"There's a lot of guys up there at the goal line because that's how it's going to be," Evans said. "We were looking for a good, like that was a good play, honestly. But No. 27 (Brown), who picked it off, he made a great play on the ball, so nothing else really you can do about that."

That play, and Monday night in general, stood in stark relief to last week in Atlanta, when they rolled up a franchise-record 448 passing yards, and Young made all the right plays at all the right times. But Monday night, there was a collective sag on the offense.

The Panthers were outgained 340-230 on the night, but that doesn't cover the struggle. They had just one pass play longer than 20, the 29-yard touchdown to Tetairoa McMillan in the last minute of the third quarter.

The Panthers managed just 12 first downs for the game, and were 1-of-7 on third down attempts.

As a result, they only ran 43 offensive plays to San Francisco's 70. That explained the gulf between them and the 49ers, and the lack of balance.

Young finished 18-of-29 passing for 169 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions. But the touchdown came in the final minute of the third quarter, indicative of the all-night struggle.

"Be consistent, especially offensively," Young replied when asked what they needed to do differently. "Just execute. There's no dream plays, there's no hoo-rah speeches. I've got to do a better job executing. Obviously, I've got to take care of the ball. I've got to do a better job of making plays go today.

"I take all ownership in that, and we have a locker room of guys that do that. So, you know, we've just got to be better. Again, there's not some magical fix. It's us buckling down and playing good football. Didn't get that done on offense today. Again it sucks, but it's a quick week. We've got to be able to flush it quick, and on to the next one."

With such a shortage of plays and an early deficit, the Panthers only had 13 rush attempts for the game, with Rico getting six for 38 yards, Chuba three for 16 yards, and Young four scrambles for 15.

"We've got to be able to move the ball, that's the biggest thing, and capitalize on opportunities," Hubbard said. "If we're running the ball early, we've got to be able to be successful with that, so then more runs can be called and vice versa with the pass. But like I said, I felt like everything was in front of us the whole game. We just had to make plays, and we just fell short today.

"I mean, we still got a lot of ball left, obviously. It sucks to lose. It's never, never fun, never feels good, but we're not going to hang our heads. We've got a short week this week, and it's going to be another big one. So, take the lessons from this week and just keep moving forward like we always do."