Dave Canales on Panthers' return to prime time: Type of game 'we need to become who we' want to be

In the view of some NFL franchises, having just one prime-time game would be a slight.

For Dave Canales and his Carolina Panthers, their Week 12 Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers is an occasion to continue building the franchise into what they desire it to be.

"I just love the opportunities to be able to play those types of games," Canales said Thursday, via the team website’s Kassidy Hill. "There's a couple of extra cameras, and you get to play under the lights, playing against a great opponent, and those are the types of games that we need to become who we are."

The Panthers' Monday Night Football tilt against the 49ers on Nov. 24 will mark the club's first prime-time game since Week 10, 2023, against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. It will likewise stand as the Panthers' first MNF tilt since Week 2, 2023, against the New Orleans Saints.

So, regardless of the game being the only prime-time appearance on the docket for the 2025 Panthers, it's symbolic of the progress being made and that more is hopefully following.

The Panthers lost each of those aforementioned 2023 marquee matchups as part of a disastrous 2-15 season. That campaign -- quarterback Bryce Young's first with the team after he was taken No. 1 overall in the '23 draft -- saw Frank Reich fired midseason, just as Matt Rhule had been the year prior.

Canales is back for Year 2 after a 5-12 first-year showing.

Young was benched amid continued struggles that carried over from his rookie campaign, but returned looking much more like the prospect who dazzled during his college days at Alabama. Carolina won two of its last three games, including the season finale in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons.

If nothing more, Young, Canales and the Panthers left the 2024 season headed in the right direction.

Just where they'll be headed in Week 12 is a long ways off, but Canales sees an ample -- and needed -- obstacle to overcome. It will also have the added intrigue of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey playing against his former team for the first time since he was traded by the Panthers.

"The challenge is to go on the road, go across the country, and you know, really feel the high-stakes games as we build this and we compete to win the division," Canales said.

The Panthers are back on the prime-time schedule, and Canales is anticipating it being an indication of bigger games and brighter nights to come.