CHARLOTTE — The word Dave Canales hopes defines the Carolina Panthers program as a whole is finish.

Finish each season with pride, each game, each drive, each play, each rep. If you finish, anything is possible. It's the message he's preached from the moment he arrived.

But the word that has come to shape the 2025 season in particular is refocus.

It's what coaches have asked each player to embrace, starting with Bryce Young and trickling through the entire roster. If a play goes wrong, refocus, prepare for the next one. If a drive ends badly, refocus quickly and move on. If a game is lost, tell the truth of why on Monday, then refocus on the next week.

"I just think that, starting with Coach Canales, he's instilled a mentality of, next week," shared safety Nick Scott. "We're always moving on. And an emphasis on just, 'We're going to look at what we did really well from the week before, and we're going to look at where we need to improve, we're going to own the things that we did really well, and we're going to get better at the things we need to improve.'"

There are, admittedly, plenty of things on which to improve following a 20-9 loss to the 49ers on Monday Night Football in Week 12. But, as Scott said, there is a balance to be found in identifying what worked, using it as foundational blocks for a rebuilding team, and making adjustments where needed.

It's the mindset Canales has implored his team to embrace all season. And while they are currently 6-6 and firmly “In the Hunt” for a playoff spot, each week must be taken one at a time before the entire season can be assessed.

"We're trying to find our best football and making sure that we compartmentalize each game, win or lose," explained Canales. "Just look at the game and what the result was, be specific about it so that we can make improvements and try to shore up some of the things that we missed, and then try to replicate the things that are working for us.

"Our pursuit is to have continual growth fundamentally, and especially from a scheme standpoint, the details that it requires. Teams just keep getting better and better the further along you go into the season, where you know what you're running, your opponents they know what you're running, so there's a lot of execution that happens on a fundamental level when people are more aware of what you're trying to do, in the different phases."

That means, for example, holding space for both the Week 11 win in which the Panthers threw it all over the yard for a franchise-record 448 yards, and wins during which the run game thrived, and Rico Dowdle set franchise records for back-to-back rushing performances.

It means taking into account shutout defensive performances, like in Week 3, and drawing from those games when teams like the Cowboys might have put up 27 points, but the defense also made crucial stops at the most important times.

"I feel like we had a lot of those this season; we had a lot of highs and a lot of lows, and we do a good job bouncing back, and we just got to bounce back," said receiver Tetairoa McMillan. "But then at the same time stay consistent. We want to play in the playoffs, and so we got to win as much games as we possibly can."

Bouncing back, refocusing if you will, has become a specialty of this Panthers team this season. While at 6-6, they have currently not lost back-to-back games since Week 2. Four other losses have been followed by wins.

"So the idea is we're just getting better each week, we're just adding to the things that we do well," continued Scott. "So when guys have that mindset, it can help you move on and not just be hung up on what didn't go right the week before. We can just look ahead and attack the next challenge."

Granted, the next challenge—the next chance to bounce back from a loss—will be arguably the most difficult yet. Because the next challenge is the 9-2 Los Angeles Rams, led by a quarterback who has thrown 27 touchdown passes without an interception. On top of that, several defensive starters will be sidelined for the game.

But pressure is a privilege, as Mike Jackson reminded everyone this week, and coming off a win, a loss, or a tie shouldn't matter when refocusing to face a new team.

"To me, every game is meaningful. Because, at the end of the day, when we were kids, the score really didn't matter. So, I guarantee you, ask somebody in your neighborhood would they love to go play (even) a week 15 game where both teams out of the playoffs. I guarantee they're willing to give up everything but their mama and kids for it," promised Jackson.

"It's just football at the end of the day. Like, no matter Super Bowl or preseason, like a slant is a slant, a dig is a dig. So, just approach it like that. Yeah, we got a lot at stake, but at the same time, it's a pressure business, and my heart doesn't pump Kool-Aid, so I'm just going to go out there and play ball."

Center Austin Corbett has been on championship teams (the Rams, coincidentally) and recalled this week what it took to refocus and grind through a Super Bowl season that included an entire month without a win.

"It's just a day-to-day thing in practice, in meetings, just kind of, there's a different heightened level of focus. But even back to the Super Bowl year, like, we didn't win a game in November," said Corbett.

"So you'd think the world's falling apart, and nothing really changed, but I just kind of like, this is what we are. This is what we're going to do. So there's a set plan of this is who we're going to be, this is how we're going to do it, and we go out there, and we execute."

That's all Dave Canales is asking his players to do this week. Take the good from last week, flush the bad, go out on Sunday, and execute. It's worked multiple times this season as the Panthers have shown an ability to respond from a loss. Now they have an opportunity to do so again.

"I've said it week in and week out, regardless of win or lose, we're just going to keep sticking to that," said running back Chuba Hubbard. "Obviously, it's a quick turnaround, so just got to flush it, take the lessons from last week. And then just build off this week."