CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Atlanta Falcons faced third-and-9 at their own 31-yard line late in the first quarter of their 38-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers, when Darnell Mooney jumped wide open down the left sideline for a 12-yard gain which could have yielded even more had the wide receiver not slipped.

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

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

When it comes to third downs, it was one of those days for the Carolina defense in a home loss that dropped the team to 1-5.

It’s been one of those seasons for the Panthers’ defense, which came into the game producing the NFL’s fourth-highest third-down conversion rate (47.4%) and changed nothing on Sunday, allowing the NFC South-leading Falcons to 50% could convert. (6-of-12) on their third downs.

Horn admitted that the third down is starting to get into the minds of the Panthers’ defensive players.

“That’s money gone,” he said. “It’s win or lose games. There’s a lot of momentum on those downs. We just have to be better.”

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

But the third down was the most eye-catching as quarterback Andy Dalton, running back Chuba Hubbard and the offense did enough to keep pace until the fourth quarter.

But every time they did something to tighten the score, a third-down relegation allowed Atlanta to increase the margin again.

Horn said this is the most frustrating part because he knew the offense had limitations in recent years that prevented the team from winning when the defense played well.

“Now they do more than enough every week for us to win,” he said. “We haven’t gone out and had that dominant performance on defense yet. Chuba has been running the ball great. Andy and Diontae (Johnson) have been playing football.

“The defense, we don’t have it completely in order yet.”

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

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

But the defense, undermanned with five starters out with injuries, couldn’t stop an Atlanta run that ranked 26th in the NFL. The Falcons rushed for a season-high 198 yards, more than double their season average.

Atlanta wasn’t very good on third down before Sunday either, with a 30.8% efficiency ranking 26th in the NFL.

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

As down as Horn was, Hubbard and the offensive players believe the team is about to turn the corner.

“I just feel like we’re seeing a glimpse of greatness,” Hubbard said. “I feel like the more consistent we can be, the more it shows up, the better things will happen for us.”

Over time, the defense will get players back. Jadeveon Clowney (shoulder) could return to Washington next week. Fellow outside linebacker DJ Wonnum (quadriceps) is about to begin his stint back 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 fixed, Horn defiantly replied, “Hell yeah!”

“It can be solved,” he added. “You’ve got to bite our mouthpiece and go out and win. Winning in first and second place. Then when we get to third and long, we have to buckle down and do our work on the back end. “