It seems almost a given. Of course, if you know how to win the game, you’ll win. But as both Horn and Hunt pointed out, it’s not just about the game plan and logistically knowing how to win. It’s about mentally learning how to push through.
“Finishing, details, all that stuff matters,” said Horn. “Like when it happens, it might not seem like it matters because it’s either 5 or 10 yards for a flag or whatever the situation is, but all those little plays matter, and you never know which play is going to determine the outcome of the game. So finishing and all the stuff Coach Canales talks about definitely plays a big part.”
To Horn’s point, finishing has been Canales’ message all year. Finish the rep, the route, the play, the game, the season. NFL games are won in the fourth quarter, so make it there and finish. It’s something the Chiefs—in search of the elusive three-peat—and the Eagles—in their third Super Bowl in the last eight seasons—have figured out.
“I mean, we got to learn how to win,” Hunt preached. “I feel like our program has been down for a couple of years, multiple years, and we’re not there yet; we’re learning how to win. And those games, the Chiefs know how to win games like that. Philly knows how to win games like that, you know what I mean. Two teams that have won a lot of games, that know how to win.”
Learning how to finish is the first step to learning how to win. If the latter half of 2024 was any indication, the Panthers are closer now than they were a year ago. Sending two players to the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2022 and having a slew on the alternate list indicates the talent and production has taken a step forward. And they experience up close, in Week 12 and Week 14, the difference in taking those close games.
Now, as they settle in to watch the Super Bowl in one week, whether as a fan of the sport or with pen and paper out to take notes like the film junkies they are, they’ll see what it takes to make that final push.
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