CHARLOTTE — To put it frankly, Jaycee Horn is frustrated.

And also, a little disappointed and definitely fired up, but mostly frustrated.

"The most frustrating part to me," Horn began, his voice calm and collected but definitely raised to be heard, "just being here the last couple of years, is, 'Oh if we had an offense, we could do this, do that.' And now they're doing more than enough every week for us to win, and we haven't went out there and had that dominant performance yet as a defense."

Horn's monologue came after the Panthers latest loss, this one a 38-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. In the game, the Carolina offense scored on four of their first seven drives (two touchdowns and two field goals). The offense kept them in a game in which the Falcons scored on five of those same first seven drives.

Running back Chuba Hubbard posted another 100-yard day (103 total from scrimmage), his third of the season, while Andy Dalton went 26-38 for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Diontae Johnson six receptions for 78 yards and a score, while rookies Ja'Tavion Sanders (five receptions for 49 yards), Jalen Coker (three receptions for 30 yards) and Xavier Legette (two catches for 23 yards and a touchdown) rounded out the offense.

"I feel like we owe it to them guys," Horn said. "Chuba been running the ball great. Andy been dealing. Diontae been balling. And as a defense we haven't quite put it together yet. And I think that's the most frustrating part because it's been, every year it's been, defense has been good, and offense has been struggling and now it's like flipped on its head."

When Dalton threw his first of two interceptions on the opening drive of the fourth quarter, it was still a one possession game. But Atlanta took that turnover and turned it into points, in what felt inevitable given their production to that point.

The Falcons finished with 423 total yards (225 in the air and 198 on the ground) while going 50 percent on third down. By games end, Bijan Robinson averaged 6.3 yards per carry, while Tyler Allgeier averaged 5.8 yards per rush.

"It's demoralizing, especially when the team just had their way running the ball," Horn admitted. "Ask any defensive player on any team, that's like the worst thing because you just feel just down when you can't stop the run. I'm not putting it all on the D-line or linebackers. That's just what it is. We got to do a better job.

"They converted a lot of third downs. They had two third-and-longs. I had a PI on one, and then they found Drake (London) on a couple of other third-and-longs. Just got to be better, got to be better."

Being better doesn't revolve around any scheme changes, Horn said.

"It ain't about the scheme, it's about the players," he said. "Players make plays."

It echoed what his head coach had harped on only minutes before.

"I truly believe in, we go to our concepts, we play our system and our concepts well. Guys got to fit together, we got to play team defense and stop the plays that are there to stop," Dave Canales said. "I truly believe that, Ejiro (Evero) believes it and we're going to go right back to the film, we're going to watch it.

"We're just going to attack the fundamentals and the basics because that's what we got. If we can just make the story as simple as that, can we get better on our fundamentals, just the basics of what we're doing and how we fit in different type of run styles. And that's the challenge for us, just keep taking that next steps and improving our football."

The Panthers finished the 2023 season top four in total yards allowed and top three in passing defense. But between the departures from last offseason, and some early injuries, they're not playing the way Horn anticipated.

"Like I ain't, I didn't really see it going like this," Horn admitted.

He also didn't foresee captains Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson lost for the season in the first month, or other injury issues that kept Jadeveon Clowney, Josey Jewell out this week, and have other planned contributors including Dane Jackson, Jordan Fuller, or D.J. Wonnum on the sidelines.

Still, it's no excuse, according to Horn.

"I mean, we can't stop anything. That's just, that's just what it is right now. I know we got players down or whatever, but at the end of the day, got to find a way to get off the field and that's when we'll start winning games."

The Panthers go on the road for the next two weeks, first facing rookie phenom Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, then heading up in altitude to face Sean Payton's Broncos. Then the club returns home to welcome the Saints. The schedule doesn't let up, particularly in the way of running threats. When asked on Sunday though if each glaring issue with the defense could be fixed, Horn answered quickly and confidently.

"Hell yeah, it could be fixed, it can be fixed. I mean, you just got to want to. Guys, we got to bite down on our mouthpiece and go out there and win. Win on first and second down and then we get teams into third-and-long, we got to strap up and do our job on the back end," Horn preached.

"I believe in the players in this locker room, and I know how close we are. It's hard for everybody else to see it because obviously our record. But as a team, I know how close we are, and everybody knows how close we are to just getting the job done. And right now, we just got to rally the troops and figure out a way to get it done."