CHARLOTTE — Sunday was one win for the Carolina Panthers. A very good win, but still just one.

That enough of the people in the locker room talked about it that way was also a sign of the fundamental change that's happening here.

Beating the Rams to get to 7-6 at a my-god-do-they-need-it bye week was sweet, make no mistake.

But they also immediately put it in the context of a bigger picture.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales told his team Saturday night that their best football was still in front of them. Monday, he'll bring them in and show them the things that went wrong. Then they'll rest, and they need to.

Because they know that when they come back in a week, the stakes will be very different. Instead of slinking into another December of witness protection, and all the talk about d

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