//The Day After: Run defense needs to improve against Falcons

The Day After: Run defense needs to improve against Falcons

That means the Panthers have to eliminate those “my bad” mistakes if they’re going to improve against Gurley the second time around.

“You can’t get too nosy. You can’t feel like you have to make every play,” Burns said. “That’s something I have a problem with sometimes, I feel like I’ve got to make every play. But as long as you do your job and just stay disciplined in your gaps, don’t allow anyone to take you out your gap, or you being nosy take you out your gap, everything should be fine, in my opinion.”

That plays into Carolina’s biggest defensive issue from Sunday’s loss: third down. The Panthers set a single-game franchise low in defensive third-down efficiency, allowing an 85.7 percent conversion rate. Of New Orleans’ 14 third-down attempts, nine were from third-and-6 or fewer. The Saints also converted 2-of-4 third downs with