Carolina Panthers riding 'young and dumb' defense into the playoffs

Lindsay H. Jones | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Panthers have momentum against Cardinals USA TODAY Sports' Lindsay H. Jones examines why the NFC South champions could be a tough test for the 11-win Cardinals.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It's rare in an NFL locker room to hear the word "dumb" thrown around as a compliment, but that was certainly safety Roman Harper's intent when he used it to describe his defensive back teammates.

"I just really like how young and dumb they are," Harper told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. "They don't know any better, and when you don't know, you don't know. And that's good. They're flying around, not apologizing for what they're doing. Sometimes, you might blow a coverage. We'll correct it on the sidelines. Guys are just playing with confidence, and when you get a confident group, you're going to make plays."

Harper, the longtime New Orleans Saint who signed with the Panthers as a free agent this year, is the only Carolina defensive back to start every game this season, as the teammates around him rotated in and out at both cornerback spots and at free safety, before head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott settled on a group they liked four weeks ago. That group includes two rookies – corner Bene Benwikere and safety Tre Boston, and third-year corner Josh Norman.

In the four games since those four defensive backs began playing together, the Panthers have won four games and the defense has held opponents to less than 11 points per game. Carolina held the Atlanta Falcons to just a field goal last week, while also scoring on two interception returns (by Harper and Boston).

"It was a big deal. It was a statement, it was saying that we're trying to get some things done here, and obviously we weren't making enough plays at the time," Harper said. "These young guys have stepped up, made plays and it's really helped us out. We've been a more competitive defense because of it. And I like it. Change is good sometimes."

Indeed, change has been the constant for the Carolina Panthers defense this season, starting with the loss to star defensive end Greg Hardy in Week 2, when he was first deactivated because of his pending domestic violence trial. He was later placed on the commissioner's exempt list, effectively ending his season and removing from the Panthers' lineup a player who had 26 sacks over the previous two seasons, including 15 in 2013.

It took time for the Panthers to account for Hardy's absence, and head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday that the team had to get creative to find a pass rush threat that could complement left defensive end Charles Johnson, because there wasn't only player who could just replace Hardy.

"You try to go through combinations and fit guys into position, and sometimes it's hard to find that second, third and fourth guy," Rivera said.

It meant moving Wes Horton into the starting lineup, but also figuring out ways to try to force plays to Johnson's side of the defense, or coming up with exotic blitz packages that could try to compensate for the lack of an elite rusher. And it didn't always work, and in mid-October, the Panthers were ranked 25th or worse in most of the major defensive categories.

But thanks to the changes in the secondary, a late-season surge from Johnson – who finished the season with 8.5 sacks but 44 quarterback pressures, and a defense that no longer has to rely on blitzing and is routinely rushing the quarterback with just four players, the Panthers head into the wild card round ranked 10th in the NFL in total defense.

"When you don't have to blitz, when you can put guys back in coverage and just use the front four to get pressure on the quarterback, that makes a big difference, and that's what we've been able to do against Atlanta. Our back seven, linebackers and DBs did a great job," defensive tackle Star Lotulelei told USA TODAY Sports. "I think guys finally turned it around during the season. Charles has been playing great these last couple weeks, and I think we just follow his lead. He's been the leader of our group -- last year he was the leader of our group, this year, he's the leader of our group. We go as he goes, and these last couple weeks he's been really dominating out there."