Third down issues continue to weaken the Panthers defense

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Atlanta Falcons were facing third-and-9 at their own 31-yard line late in the first quarter of their 38-20 win over the Carolina Panthers when Darnell Mooney faced the ball on the left side for a 12-yard gain that could have been even bigger had the wide receiver not slipped.

Three plays later, Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn was called for pass interference with the Falcons on third-and-5.

Seven plays later, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson unleashed a 5-yard touchdown run around the left side on third-and-3, tying the game at 7.

When it comes to third downs, it was such a day for the Carolina defense, with the home loss dropping their record to 1-5.

It's been a season of its kind for the Panthers' defense, which entered the game with the fourth-highest third-down conversion rate in the NFL (47.4%) and did nothing to change that Sunday as it beat the Falcons, who were in the NFC South leaders allowed 50% conversion. (6 out of 12) of their third defeats.

Horn admitted that third down is starting to come to mind for the Panthers' defensive players.

“It’s a loss of money,” he said. “It's about winning or losing games.” There's a lot of momentum in these downward moves. “We just have to get better.”

The Panthers need to get better at a lot of things defensively. They rank near the bottom of the league in most key categories, and the Falcons took advantage of them at Bank of America Stadium.

But the third down was the toughest because quarterback Andy Dalton, running back Chuba Hubbard and the offense did enough to keep up until the fourth quarter.

But every time they did something to improve the score, a third-period loss allowed Atlanta to extend the lead again.

Horn said that was the most frustrating part because he knew the offense had limitations in recent years that didn't allow the team to win when the defense played well.

“Now they do more than enough every week for us to win,” he said. “We haven't shown such a dominant performance in defense yet.” Chuba ran the ball great. Andy and Diontae (Johnson) had fun.

“The defense, we haven’t quite gotten it right yet.”

He's right. Dalton had a solid first half, completing 16 of 22 pass attempts for 138 yards and two touchdowns to put the Panthers within striking distance (22-17). He continued to play well until he threw two late interceptions while trying to overcome a two-score deficit.

Hubbard ran 18 times for 92 yards, his fourth straight game with 90 or more yards.

But the defense, shorthanded with five injured starters, couldn't stop an Atlanta running game that ranked 26th in the NFL. The Falcons rushed for a season-high 198 yards, more than double their season average.

Atlanta wasn't particularly good on third downs before Sunday either, ranking 26th in the NFL with an efficiency of 30.8%.

“We can’t stop anything,” Horn said. “That’s exactly how it is now.”

As dejected as Horn was, Hubbard and the offensive linemen believe the team is on the verge of a turnaround.

“I just feel like we’re getting a glimpse of greatness,” Hubbard said. “I feel like the more consistent we can be, the more it becomes visible, the better things will come for us.”

Over time, the defense will get the players back. Jadeveon Clowney (shoulder) could return to Washington next week. Fullback DJ Wonnum (quadriceps) is close to returning from injured reserve.

Cornerback Dane Jackson (hamstring) and safety Jordan Fuller (hamstring) could be ready to play soon.

That's why when asked if the defense could be repaired, Horn defiantly replied, “Hell yes!”

“It can be repaired,” he added. “You've got to bite our mouthpiece and go out and win.” Win on first and second down. Then when we get to third-and-long, we have to buckle down and do our job on the back end.”