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Panthers’ poor defensive performance: ‘Terrible’ and ‘lazy,’ or just ‘small things’?

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera was disappointed in his defense on Sunday after a 31-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, in which his team gave up 442 yards — including 170 rushing.

So much so, in fact, that after calling his team’s rushing defense “terrible” on Sunday, he used a description on Monday morning for the group’s errors that he seldom, if ever, has before.

“It was a little bit of physical nature, a little bit of mental nature,” he said. “A couple of times not knowing how to fit or where to fit, and a couple of times playing behind, playing a little lazy.