CHARLOTTE — Everybody wants to see explosive plays, at least on highlight reels. But you can tell by the tone of his voice that Dave Canales really likes to see a lot of runs, whether they go far or not.

The Panthers head coach said Monday in the wake of the 36-22 win over the Raiders that for all of Andy Dalton's heroics (and they were significant), he loved the way they closed out the game on the ground.

While answering a question about Dalton, Canales veered into the part of the game that really seemed to enthuse him.

"I've got to talk about a group that took the challenge in the run game; we finished the game running the ball, which is my dream," he said. "It's my vision of Panthers football at its finest.

"We're running the ball at the end, to establish the attitude and the finish that we're about. And then of course, just being able to sustain drives and for those guys to give us time so that we can be aggressive down the field, which we were able to do."

Dalton's passing stats stood out, obviously (he's the only quarterback in the league this year to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in a single game), but Canales specifically mentioned things as granular as "being 5-of-7 in third-and-5 or less, which is the world we want to live in. That's a fantastic day."

The Panthers ran 31 times for 131 yards Sunday, a utilitarian 4.2 yards per carry average. They went 13-for-57 in the first half (4.4 per carry), and 18-for-74 in the second (4.1). That kind of wear-them-down running is something that Canales describes as being in his DNA from his early days as a coach in Southern California.

"It's Pete Carroll football. It was USC Trojans football. It was Seattle Seahawks football," he said "And the highest performances that I've seen, when we won championships and when we were a powerful team, it was that complementary football, being able to run the ball, being able to play great defense and flying around like crazy on special teams and the heart of it all is toughness. And how you show toughness as an offense is you run the football. And our wide receiver group is a big part of that as well. They're tied into it, and you could see examples of them blocking downfield and giving that type of effort. And it's a mentality of a program.

"It's a mentality of Panthers football that I want to continue to just keep pounding away at that mentality, to be able to show that toughness as a full group. And you could see it at the end of the game as we finished our runs, there was some violence. Guys got tired, and it was ugly, and it was beautiful."

Dalton offers "best chance to win"

Canales was asked how he was going to handle his quarterback situation moving forward, and he didn't equivocate for a moment in regard to Dalton.

"He's our quarterback, he gives us our best chance to win," Canales said. "That's the approach as we get ready for the Bengals."

Asked later in the press conference to expand on that, he did not.

"No, I don't really want to expand to that," he began. "That's just my general thought and my approach to this team and what we're trying to do together. He just continues to give us our best chance to do that."

Out of the mouths of babes

Mike Jackson's daughter Ryann is only three years old. She'll hear something, and try to fold it into her vocabulary, often times rewording it in the way only a 3-year-old can. When Jackson called his kids before the Panthers game on Sunday against the Raiders, his daughter repeated something her dad said came from a TikTok she'd seen, twisting it to fit her toddler speak.

Except her reworking of the phrase was exactly what Jackson needed to hear.

"Daddy let's get this money today," Ryann told her dad.

Jackson, telling the story on Monday, said he and others on the call were so taken aback, because it was the first time they'd heard her quip the line.

"She never says that" Jackson said. "So, when she said that I was like, yeah, I know I'm getting a pick.

And he was right, going out and getting his first interception since 2022 and only the second of his career. He kept the ball, and it'll go straight to Ryann.

"It's a present to my daughter," Jackson shared.

The interception and subsequent gift were high points for Jackson on Sunday, but his entire game is worth revisiting. The corner finished with a team-high nine tackles, showing a willingness to throw himself into the run game, and the ability to read plays before the snap, to be in place to stop catches from getting extra yardage (in addition to his three passes defended). But even the nine tackles weren't enough for the corner Dan Morgan traded for during training camp.

"So, like my goal, every game is try to get at least 10 tackles cause I know I can do that," Jackson said. "So, I was one short and I missed the tackle. So, like, that'd be the frustrating part. If I made that tackle that I would have 10."

While the double-digit tackles is something Jackson can still attain for, he and fellow corner Jaycee Horn, as well as nickel Troy Hill, were able to leave Vegas knowing they'd checked off at least one of their major goals; keep Davante Adams in check.

Adams had four receptions on nine targets, for 40 yards. He was also the target on Jackson's interception. As defensive backs coach Deangelo Hall told his DB's during the week though, Adams "got a gold jacket waiting on him. Like he going to make his plays." So, in preparation he challenged the group to just show a willingness to go toe-to-toe.

"We didn't bow down when he made his catches, like he going to make his plays, but it was just like we understood that" Jackson shared. "You got to just show that you're not scared. You're not going back down no matter what."

Offense feeds defense with sustained drives

During the first two weeks of the Panthers season, the defense was on the field for an extra 13:18 and 12:36 (respectfully) than the offense. It created heavy legs, downtrodden play and a tough mindset to overcome. On Sunday versus the Raiders however, the defense was on the field for 12:04 less than their counterparts.

"It's definitely nice," linebacker Josey Jewell said Monday. "Three-and-outs are hard for a defense…we're getting off the field and then, maybe have three plays and we're right back on. That's tough to do."

In the first two weeks, the Panthers offense had nine three-and-outs and four drives end in a turnover (all three plays or less). In Las Vegas, the offense sustained drives, with just two ending in three-and-outs, while converting 5-12 on third down.

"Really we just drew a lot of energy from the offense and they brought a lot of energy yesterday and it was fun, it was fun to go off of that like. Chuba, I mean, the run game was awesome. Everything was great. So we were all hyped on the sidelines, maybe spending too much energy," Jewell joked. "But having a good time and keeping everybody in good positive spirits and we just need to keep on riding that and staying consistent with that."

Injury updates

Canales did not yet have any updates on injuries that occurred during Sunday's game. Receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring), safety Lonnie Johnson (groin), guard Damien Lewis (elbow) and safety Jordan Fuller (hamstring) all left at various times against the Raiders.

On Monday, Canales told reporters "We still don't have a full conclusion, just from some of the imaging and things," on any of the guys. "We'll have more information after we go through that."

Canales will meet with the media again on Wednesday.