LANDOVER, Md.— Jaycee Horn wanted to be positive, but was forced to be realistic.

Having new faces on defense each and every week shouldn't matter, in the grand scheme of things. It should all be the same system, same desire to make game-saving and game-changing plays.

"I feel like it really shouldn't matter," cornerback Dane Jackson, in his first game off injured reserve, said nearby. But Horn, who has been one of only three players (along with safety Xavier Woods and corner Mike Jackson), to start all seven games on defense this season, couldn't help but admit, "I mean, it matters."

"But it's the same story," Horn continued. "We know don't nobody care. There's new pieces so it matters as far as chemistry and all that, but we got to get stops, we got to be better at the end of the day."

At the end of Sunday, the story was far from better after a 40-7 loss to the Washington Commanders, a game in which their starting quarterback Jayden Daniels played only one drive. He exited with a non-contact rib injury early on, giving way to backup Marcus Mariota. The latter finished with 205 yards and two touchdowns on 18-23 passing, along with 11 rushes for 34 yards. Washington also ran for 214 yards against a shuffled-and-reshuffled front seven (only one starter from the projected starting group, nose tackle Shy Tuttle, played Sunday).

As the age-old question of Jimmys and Joes versus Xs and Os hangs over the group, Dave Canales insisted the scheme wasn't the issue.

"Honestly, I love our scheme," he said. "I've seen it, played against it. I've seen it in person now for a good while and I love our scheme. And the challenge for us is to bring a new group together. We kind of start back at the fundamentals as we add these pieces, you know, and we got to play good team football."

That football is there during the week, Canales and players promised. But there is a disconnect between the last day of practice, and game day.

"Oh, it's extremely frustrating," Horn said of the lack of translation.

Added linebacker Trevin Wallace, "I really don't know cause I feel the energy when we come in and just keep going, but I just really can't tell you."

A rotating door at so many crucial spots can't help but factor in somewhat though. As Horn said, with the only constant on defense being change, it naturally impacts chemistry. So, what is the antidote?

"Execute," Horn quickly replied. "Everybody do their job."

The silver lining, if one wants to see one, is the advent of rookie playing time in the opportunity heavy defense. Wallace has now started three games in the interior as the new signal caller. He continues to play well, tied for second on Sunday in total game tackles with seven. He trailed only Chau Smith-Wade , the rookie nickel getting his most significant action following the release of Troy Hill, finishing with eight tackles.

The Panthers have been open about their willingness to let rookies learn this season, with the plan to build calluses for the future. So even though Wallace and Smith-Wade are two of the new faces coming into the group, they are also young draft picks around whom a future can be built."

"I love it, it's good they're getting us more reps. Making us strain more, making us see more," Wallace said.

"I'm a rookie, it's the NFL, you go against good teams every day. So just keep stacking days and learn from what you did this previous game and on to the next."

Added Smith-Wade, "I definitely feel like, as a young guy coming in, it definitely gives us a chance—me and Trevin or any other young guys that are getting in—it gives us a chance to learn early on, which is always a good thing.

"We'll be able to learn from this, the next game, (next) year, two years, you know, just the significant amount of snaps, it's a good thing for us."