Just seven days ago, the Carolina Panthers’ defense was basking in the glow of a shutout win over the Atlanta Falcons. It looked like a completely different unit versus the New England Patriots.
A dismantling at the hands of the Patriots flipped the narrative in a hurry, leaving the locker room without many answers. It also forced Carolina to confront the same question it has all season: Can this defense be consistent?
The Patriots piled up 42 unanswered points after Carolina opened the game with a touchdown. The avalanche included breakdowns on special teams, like an 87-yard punt return score that only added to the defensive frustration.
Carolina Panthers defense came crashing back down to earth in Week 4
Statistically, the game didn’t appear to be a total collapse. New England finished with just 307 yards of offense, which is actually below the league average of 318.6 entering the week. Carolina also limited the Patriots to 33 percent on third downs and gave up only 104 rushing yards.
But paper doesn’t capture the missed tackles, the lack of pressure, and the inability to seize momentum. The Panthers recorded just one sack from Tershawn Wharton.
That’s why rookie linebacker Nic Scourton, who had to step up due to injuries, was disappointed.
“I think we turned the page on last week, last week,” Scourton said. “This week, we’ve just got to play better. We’ve got to get the quarterback. I feel like we’re not pressuring the quarterback enough and taking stress off those guys in the back end.”
Perhaps most troubling for Carolina: the Patriots didn’t show anything new. Cornerback Jaycee Horn admitted the breakdowns weren’t about preparation, but execution.
“Everything they ran, we prepped for it,” Horn said. “They just got the better of us today.”
That short and direct answer echoed the mood throughout the defense. A week after discussing “stacking wins” and “building consistency,” Horn and Derrick Brown were left repeating the same message in a different, more painful context.
“I mean, we’ve got to be better, right?” Brown said. “No matter if we get short field, no matter what happens before us, we’ve got to be better in all three phases of the game in order for us to win.”
The Panthers now face the harsh reality that one dominant performance doesn’t erase lingering issues. The defense has flashed potential, but Ejiro Evero's unit hasn't proved capable of sustaining it.
Consistency remains the word inside the locker room. And until the Panthers find it, the gap between a shutout celebration and a blowout defeat will be the defining story of their season.