Panthers know the key to improving is learning how to take a team’s best shot

To Brown’s point, it’s nearly impossible to win every weekend in the NFL. The 1972 Dolphins were the last team to do so, and to this day, remaining players from that club pop a bottle of champagne wherever they are when the last undefeated team of the season loses its first game.

Coincidentally, the 2015 Carolina Panthers are the most recent team in the NFL to make it the farthest into the season (Week 14) before suffering their first loss. This season, only the Minnesota Vikings remain undefeated at a perfect 6-0.

So no, it rarely happens that a team wins every weekend, and it would be almost unrealistic to expect that. But going undefeated isn’t the same as being inconsistent. The latter is what the Panthers are really chasing right now.

“I got to take responsibility for preparing my team to have the mindset to be able to handle that success and to understand you can’t change your process,” admitted Canales. “The more that we continue to improve as a team, you’re going to get a better shot from the teams you’re playing.

“Can we find better ball than we had last week? Can we have that same fight, that same urgency, that same getting out of the mud type of mentality, and be comfortable with that?

“We have to be able to go into every week with that same regard and not just get up for certain games, but have consistency about it because it’s about us and it’s about us pursuing our best. That should be enough. Let’s get together on that same mindset so we can make that happen.”