CHARLOTTE — Dave Canales looked tired, in the way a 10-hour plane ride in the middle of the night across the Atlantic Ocean can make you. But encouraged and pleased nonetheless, in the way a 20-17 overtime win can make you.

"That's the type of football that can help us put us in position to have success and to win games, to be able to play in all phases," Canales said Monday, back home in Charlotte.

The trip, while long and perhaps at times tiring, came at the right time for the Panthers, at the midway point of the season and on a two-game win streak. Canales has harped before on using road trips to build chemistry on his young team. Having so much time thanks to the long plane rides and extra days in country meant he saw that chemistry grow exponentially.

"Long flights, guys talking together, getting up, crossing the aisles, you could hear the noise and the games and, just kind of those connections," Canales shared. "And then of course, being at a hotel, having guys go to lunch together, go to dinner together, build all those things, and to be able to stay at a nice hotel and for the guys to have, you know, just that time and the meal room, everything kind of sectioned off for the group to bond.

"It's special moments, and so, I was really, I was really happy about the way it came out."

Canales' point wasn't just coachspeak. It wasn't uncommon to walk into a room in Munich and find the entire safety unit at a table together, meals long finished and laughter ringing out. Or players whose units and lockers mean they normally don't cross paths, but they'd posted up in the lobby together, swapping stories and pictures from their day out in Munich, playing tourist when it would allow.

"It was a trip, was a great experience," Cade Mays said. "Super grateful I got to be a part of it and just spending time with teammates that you don't usually get to spend time with. The O-line room is really close, but, you find yourself hanging out with people that are on the other side of the ball and making those connections and stuff with all that time together.

"So it was just, it was really good for our team chemistry and I'm glad we got the win and, you know, just build on it from here."

Now, the key is to let that continue to build, despite a week in which most of the team will scatter to relax over the bye. With seven games to go, there's much to be done. And while Canales isn't ready to say this team has found its identity just yet, a long weekend together capped with an overtime win helped them take a huge step toward that goal paying off on the field.

"I would just say it's, we're just getting closer to a foundation we can build on," Canales said. "With our run game, with the play actions, you know, certainly in our pass game, there are things that we need to continue to improve upon, and defensively, just playing good team football, team tackling, rallying to the ball. You see the turnovers, you see the pass deflections and all those things just come from being in position and really evaluating the formation early in the down and the guys understanding what we're trying to execute, given the situation.

"So all those things are coming together. And again, there's a lot to clean up still, but, I love the progress because our focus has just been weekly, weekly progress."

Dave Canales on bye week plans

With the bye week, the Panthers get a well-earned break after 10 weeks (plus training camp and the preseason). There were still guys around the stadium Monday getting treatment and working out, but the intensity is obviously less.

Canales said he hopes guys can come back refreshed both mentally and physically when they return next week to prepare for the final seven games.

"I just expect a great opportunity for guys to kind of reflect," he said. "We've got 10 games now under our belt to think about what their roles have been throughout. Also, just to heal, get our legs back, and get our minds back. We've thrown a lot of football at guys, Especially the young guys, as they go through and as our game plans kind of stack up. It's just a really good reset, for all of us to kind of look at what is the core of what we're doing? What can we build on, and what do we want to get out of these next seven weeks? And it starts with the Chiefs. But it's just a great opportunity to hit a good reset and try to get refreshed from a physical and a mental standpoint."

Byes begin to mean more for the veterans. For 30-year-old right tackle Taylor Moton, who started 104 straight games before a two-game absence earlier this year with an elbow injury, it's less of a chance to vacation than to get extra time in the athletic training room.

"For me, I'm making sure to take this opportunity to get my body as refreshed as I can so I can attack these last seven weeks and make the most of it and help this team out however I can," Moton said. "There's all types of different body-work stuff ... just making sure I'm on top of it. It's obviously a long season, and there's going to be some that your body might break down here or there, but it's very important, especially as you get older, to do everything you can to be on top of it."

Moton laughed and said, "I'm not a tropical drink guy this time of year," and tried to use the extra time wisely.

"I do understand that everyone's process looks a little different," he said. "But you know, my mind it's only two-month sprint to do whatever we can to win as many games as we can."

A stout offensive line performance

Heading into Sunday's game, the Giants were leading the league with 3.8 sacks per game and 35 overall. They're still leading the league, now with 36 sacks, but registered only one on Sunday against the Panthers.

That sack came on the second play of the game, when former Panther Brian Burns sacked Bryce Young. The Giants wouldn't touch Young again the rest of the day. This despite registering a pressure on 11 of 25 drop backs (per Next Gen Stats).

Canales credited the offensive line, particularly Cade Mays and Brady Christensen for being willing to move around to new positions given injuries. But also Young and receivers, for playing a quick game to negate the pressure.

"I know they got one early on us, on a boot, Brian Burns played it perfect. He was right there in Bryce's face," Canales noted, before adding, "I thought that first and foremost, starting up front with the offensive line, the preparation that went into this week, knowing where their issue players were and just having a plan for your pass sets and all that.

"So Goody (Harold Goodwin), Joe (Gilbert), Keli'i (Kekuewa), you know, really pouring into the guys. Cade, Brady popping out there at the tackle and then, Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt still playing a solid game. So gotta tip my cap to them.

"But then Bryce playing quickly, being decisive, taking off and running a couple of times, it's the whole thing and of course, you know, the timing and rhythm, guys being available early in the down, getting their eyes around that Bryce has somewhere to go with it.

"Those are all critical things. So it was a team thing."

Young had two rushes for 30 yards, to Canales' point, with a long of 24 yards. Additionally, they were able to run the ball 32 times to 25 passes. It all came together to keep Young in a clean pocket, according to Moton.

"I'm proud of this team and, every week the offensive line, we work to take steps in the right direction," Moton said. "We're never satisfied, but, I feel like I've always looked at sacks as, yes, we gotta protect the quarterback, but it is a team effort.

"Like it's the receivers running the right route, getting open, it's the quarterback getting the ball out in a timely manner. It's the defense doing their job so we don't have to pass the ball as much. I think there's a lot that goes into it and I think that's one of the beauties of the sport is how much it's just, it's really a team effort."

Injury updates on Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders

Despite yesterday's scare when he went down awkwardly and lost the ball, Canales said that running back Chuba Hubbard was fine.

"He's good," Canales said. "He checked out well on the sideline, came back in, finished the game. He's good to go."

The news could be different as it pertains to veteran backup running back Miles Sanders. Canales said he was seeing a specialist Monday for the foot/ankle issue that knocked him out of the game. Sanders was carted off in the first half.

As for the decision to not play rookie running back Jonathon Brooks, Canales said there wasn't one single factor.

"Just felt like it wasn't time yet," he said. "Now we have two weeks before we play our next game to be able to just get him in tip-top shape. We've got to see where Miles is, but then we can make the decision from there."

The Panthers will also be checking on veteran tight end Ian Thomas, who left the game with a calf injury. He was on IR earlier this year with the same injury and missed the first five games of the season. Outside linebacker DJ Johnson also left the game with a concussion.