North Charlotte Today

Jaycee Horn, a key player for the Carolina Panthers, expressed his frustration following the team's recent 38-20 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons. Horn highlighted the disparity between the Panthers' improved offensive performance and their defensive struggles. "The most frustrating part to me," Horn stated, "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."

In this game against Atlanta, Carolina's offense managed to score on four of their first seven drives. Running back Chuba Hubbard recorded 103 total yards from scrimmage, while quarterback Andy Dalton completed 26 of 38 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Diontae Johnson contributed with six receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.

Despite these efforts, the Falcons dominated with 423 total yards and converted half of their third downs. Bijan Robinson averaged 6.3 yards per carry during the game. Horn acknowledged these challenges: "It's demoralizing, especially when the team just had their way running the ball."

Horn emphasized that improving defensively does not require changes in strategy but rather execution by players: "It ain't about the scheme; it's about the players," he said.

Head coach Dave Canales echoed this sentiment: "I truly believe in, we go to our concepts... Guys got to fit together." He stressed focusing on fundamentals as a path forward.

The Panthers have faced challenges with injuries impacting key players like Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson. Despite these setbacks, Horn remains optimistic about resolving defensive issues: "Hell yeah, it could be fixed... I believe in the players in this locker room."

Looking ahead, Carolina faces upcoming games against teams like Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos before returning home to play against New Orleans Saints.