CHARLOTTE — As a head coach, Dave Canales isn't afforded the luxury of much personal reflection during a game. Sure, there may be a moment before the Carolina Panthers' Week 17 game against the Seattle Seahawks when Canales can't help but think about his first job in the NFL and where he spent 12 years.

It would be understandable that ahead of the Panthers' Week 18 regular-season finale at Tampa Bay, the Carolina coach thinks back to his time as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator in 2023. And the fact those matchups dominate the final three games of the Panthers' 2025 season could lead to multiple emotional waysides.

Regardless of any pregame contemplation that may or may not arise during that final stretch of games, it won't affect what Canales preaches to his team, starting now.

"I honestly, I love every game, and so I just think there's such great teachable moments from each game," Canales said Thursday while previewing the 2025 slate of games released this week.

Personal connections aside, there are still games on the schedule that can't help but draw the eye, something even Canales admitted to this week, not because of the hype but because they provide a litmus test.

"I love seeing the teams—I love seeing Buffalo coming in here, and I love seeing the teams that have played really well so that we can see who we are against the best."

There is one aspect of the Tampa Bay series that is already making an impact, though. Carolina will face their divisional opponent for the first time in Week 16, then in the finale in Week 18. The front half of the slate being so late in the season means there will be an abundance of game tape and trends from which to extrapolate. The back half, coming a mere two weeks later, sets up an interesting game-planning approach.

"Certainly, the end of the season, when it comes down to crunch time, playing the Bucs a couple of times right there, the quality control in me kind of sees that and goes, 'OK, well, I won't have a lot to break down when we play them the next time,'" Canales pointed out.

"And as a play caller, it's like, 'Shoot, what plays didn't we call in the first one?' Start with those, and then we'll add a couple more. So, it does help the preparation in that regard. But it does make it challenging because you know that they have the same advantage on the other side when you play each other that closely together."

Those games are seven-plus months away, though. While the QC aspect, as Canales mentioned, will factor into game planning that begins this summer, the primary approach is establishing the messaging that will weave through every game.

Said Canales, "My message to the team—which is gonna be consistent—is like no game is bigger than the other one, and if we can make them all big games, they all matter. This is all going to create our team. These are all the best opportunities that we have as a team and then individually as players; this is the best game you have; this is the greatest practice that you have.

"I'm talking about the preseason games that way and the opportunity to figure out who's going to make our team, who are the guys that are going to emerge and make plays for us that we can count on.

"So, hopefully, I can create high stakes for all the games."