CHARLOTTE — The Panthers figured out a year ago that they could come back on teams.

Learning how to play from ahead is a whole different skill, and one that's harder to master.

But of all the things that encouraged Panthers head coach Dave Canales about Sunday's 25-14 win over the Eagles, the fourth-quarter drive on which they effectively put the game out of reach might have been among the favorites.

Entering the middle of the third quarter with a slim 13-7 lead and coming off a three-and-out on the previous possession, the Panthers embarked on a long march: a 14-play, 94-yard drive for a touchdown.

That one was punctuated by a Chuba Hubbard touchdown, part of his 28-carry, 120-yard day, and was thematically the thing the Panthers needed the most on Sunday.

"Absolutely, that's territory that we have to be comfortable with and be able to execute those drives," Canales said Monday. "We had a chance on the drive before, we went three-and-out, the defense came through with with another great response to that and then gave us a chance to really finish. And so, when you look at those moments, guys, we've got to be comfortable executing, and it wasn't perfect, but we overcame some things.

"There were some good and some bad, but it was the physical nature of the way we finished, and really just a dream of mine to be able to run with physicality, to be able to, the tight ends flying around, knocking people off the ball, and Chuba running through the arm tackles. The whole thing fitting in was just right, and it gets harder and harder the deeper you get into the game, but yeah, getting comfortable with those situations."

The run game was the last part of the offense to come together, but Hubbard has topped 120 yards the last two weeks, and it seems to have stabilized, to meet a passing game that has clicked all season.

Looking at tackle options

Canales said that veteran right tackle Taylor Moton came through his first game back well, which creates an interesting case for the team moving forward.

In his first game since missing three months because of blood clots, Moton played all 79 snaps of offense (which was certainly part of things stabilizing in the run game). And afterward, Canales said he was impressed with both his conditioning and his football shape, which is no small feat for a guy whose medication kept him out of contact.

With Monroe Freeling working his way back from the knee issue that kept him out of Sunday's game, the Panthers now have more than the minimum amount of tackles, which is a wonderful place to be.

"There's a bunch of scenarios we're still working through," Canales said when asked about the opportunity that created. "T-Mo looked like T-Mo. Rasheed Walker played his best game. We'll see where Monroe is at physically, and we'll go from there.

"This is a first-round pick for us. This is a high-value player for us. We're going to do what's best for the Panthers, and we're going to put the best group, healthiest group out there. So, that's a good challenge for Monroe to see how he responds to the training and treatment, and to see if he shows us how ready he is to play and how do we play him. So, all those questions we have to figure out."

It beats the alternative, as they were able to play at a high level earlier this year, when they had to start the season without Moton and left tackle Ikem Ekwonu.

End of a half a good learning lesson for everyone

As the Panthers went into halftime yesterday, frustration was noticeable on the sideline. Carolina controlled the ball and faced a fourth-and-1.5 from midfield with about 0:32 on the clock.

Bryce Young and the offense stayed on the field with three timeouts, but as the clock ticked closer to triple zeros, it became clear a play wasn't going to get run. Young was agitated coming off the field, a rare display of emotion from the famously calm quarterback, but chalked it up to competitive fire after the win.

"I'm a competitor, and I always want the ball, and I always want to be aggressive, and that's why you have coaches; those guys see the bigger picture, they're able to take the maybe emotion out of it," explained Young Sunday evening. "We ended up winning, they made the right call,

"So it's nothing but love, you always have that competitive fire, but, I have so much respect obviously for our coaching staff so we're always, we have that relationship where we can go and talk, and then we come back in, discuss it quick, and then you turn the page and, and go back. So, just competitiveness, but I trust those guys to always make the right call."

On Monday afternoon, though, Canales acknowledged that letting the clock run down might not have been the right call, even though it worked out in the end. But it was a good learning experience for the group, especially as the quartet of Canales, offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, Young, and game management coordinator George Li continue to navigate this new dynamic where Canales is in charge of timeouts, while Idzik is calling plays for the offense.

"I would love to have a touchdown or points out of that drive. Our philosophy in the half is score, end with the ball. The ball goes rolling out. We're in a 4th and 1.5. I just wish I could have been clearer and it could have been smoother for Bryce to understand what was happening in that mode," said Canales, taking ownership of the confusion. "We could have been more aggressive coming off of that first, that earned first down, so I take that on myself.

"We got to be aggressive right there. Brad was ready to go. Bryce was ready to go, and I was still sitting here with all this time, and I slowed us down in that process. We got to just go and we're comfortable with that. We're comfortable operating with time."

That drive began with the Panthers backed up deep in their own territory, but an explosive play to Tetairoa McMillan gave Jalen Coker breathing room to pick up a few extra yards on third down.

Coker went out of bounds with 0:36 on the clock, and the offense started heading back to the line with 0:32.

On the sideline, Canales expected the Eagles to call one of their three timeouts to force a fourth-down, since that's what he would've done.

"Once we got to that 4th and 1.5 situation right there, there's some things you could do, but at the end of the day, I'm sitting there, I'm waiting for them to call," shared Canales. "I would have called the timeout if I was on the other side.

"I would have forced us to have to do something on 4th down so we can attack it, you know, we can go after it with the punt block or if they're trying to go for it on offense, you know, we can make an aggressive play and try to do something, so, I was kind of looking, seeing. They didn't want to do that."

Canales has shown a good feel for end-of-half timing as head coach of the Panthers, making Sunday feel more like an anomaly than anything else. But he's also never been shy about accepting responsibility when he can do something differently. It's created a culture of accountability that filters to the rest of the team.

That was the case again on Monday, where the head coach saw a chance to improve in a crucial end-of-half situation.

"The speed of play could have been better. I could have helped that, gotten out of the guy's way that way, and I hate to be in the way of what I know we can be in the aggressive mode," said Canales.

"I knew we were going to come out of the half with the ball, so we walked into the half without them seeing it again, without them touching it, without our defense having to go out there.

"The end result was a win. I can help being smoother."

Okereke making fast impact…but needs to work on hands

Canales couldn't be more pleased with linebacker Bobby Okereke's defensive play…he just needs to work on having soft hands.

"I can't say enough good things about Bobby and what he's brought to us," bragged Canales on Monday. "I just got to get him to catch that interception on the second play."

The free agent signed with the Panthers on the last day of August, so he's been in Charlotte for a month and a half. But even before he put pen to paper, the veteran linebacker was ready to get started.

"From the moment he got here and even before we could give (it), he's asking for a playbook," shared Canales. "He's asking for the iPad, all this stuff, it's like come and sign a contract, and we'll give you all those things, so he's got an urgency about him. He's a grown man."

That urgency and maturity have paid dividends as Okereke has taken a starting role alongside Devin Lloyd and become a force in the middle of the field. He finished Sunday's win with a team-high eight tackles, three for loss, 1.0 sack, one quarterback hurry, and two passes defended.

He is second on the team (behind Lloyd) with 34 tackles. He also has four total passes defensed this season, an interception, and a forced fumble.

"He is just like a wonderful person to sit down with and talk to," continued Canales. "A great teammate, humble guy, really into it. And for him and Devin to be able to build off of things, and as our package continues to expand with what we can do with these guys because of how cerebral they are, Bobby gives us that ability. He can rush; he's a great tackler in space."

Now, his coach just wants to work with the linebacker on his hands. Okereke registered his first sack as a Panther on the very first play from scrimmage against the Eagles. On the second play, he dropped a sure interception. Canales — the former wide receivers coach — is ready to make sure that doesn't happen again, joking they could get on the Jugs machine this week.

"Think about it," smiled Canales. "Sack on the 1st play, interception on the 2nd play, I mean, and, but even with that being said, Bobby had a fantastic day."