GREEN BAY — The Panthers defense was a tale of two truths Thursday night, as Carolina fell 27-19 to the Green Bay Packers.

On one hand, the group found opportunities to the tune of two turnovers on defense, more than they had in recent weeks, and five passes defensed against the most pass-happy team in the NFL, as well as a stand with just under five minutes to play that gave the offense a chance for a game-tying drive. ​

On the other hand, the group suffered yet another injury in the secondary Thursday night, proving to be one too many for a decimated group against, again, a very pass-happy Packers offense, and were on the field for 67 plays.

"They're talented, they're explosive and all that stuff, but we knew that," said safety Nick Scottand we got to do a better job from the start just shutting that down early.

The first defensive turnover was a forced fumble (the second of the game, with the first coming on special teams) by Scott, recovered by linebacker Bobby Okereke. But the offense couldn't convert it into points and was forced to punt.

On the ensuing drive, Jordan Love hit a 53-yard deep shot to Christian Watson.

"The big play, to Watson there kind of broke it open," said coach Dave Canales.

It was a picture of what the defense faced all game: opportunities presented, and even taken advantage of, only to see a short break, a big play, and injuries prove costly. On the play, corner Will Lee III and Packers receiver Christian Watson collided, and both went to the ground as officials explained Lee had been flagged for pass interference, but Watson had caught the 53-yard pass.

At the time, the Panthers led 10-6. But after the big completion and with the rookie, who has started since Week 4, being helped off the field by trainers, the Packers scored five plays later. They wouldn't trail again the rest of the game.

"We were doing a good job staying on top, passing things off," Canales said. "Will Lee was injured on that play, and kind of battled out there and gave everything he had on that one to try to come down with, or affect the play."

Lee left the game with what Canales called "a pretty good hamstring" and did not return. Watson was taken by ambulance to the hospital, but returned in the third quarter and re-entered the game.

The Panthers are now down their top four corners ( Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are on injured reserve and are estimated to be out for at least another couple of weeks, at minimum, and Akayleb Evans was placed on IR this week), but Canales was hesitant to commit to any trade deadline moves, although he didn't rule out the possibility.

"We'd always be open to different things if it makes sense, with our current full roster and salary cap situation," explained Canales. "That's probably a better question for (general manager) Dan (Morgan), for (executive vice president of football operations) Brandt (Tillis).

"But at the same time, we got guys like Corey Thornton waiting around itching for an opportunity. He's going to get that opportunity real soon, so I'm excited for those guys to step in."

One guy who did step in admirably on Thursday night was Marco Wilson. The six-year veteran corner joined the team on October 6, so he's been part of this unit for less than two weeks. He finished with a team-high eight tackles and two passes defensed.

"I could get better on a lot of things out there, but it felt good to be back out there," said Wilson after his first start since 2023. "Definitely felt great to start a game…that felt real fresh and good, just looking to improve though."

Added Canales, "He had some really nice plays out there. He was sticky in coverage and had a couple of nice pass breakups. I was fired up to see him out there."

Chau Smith-Wade finished the game for Lee.

Other opportunities came, including Zakee Wheatley's interception in the fourth quarter when the Packers were driving into the red zone. It was the first team interception since Week 2 and the first non-linebacker pick of the season.

And the rush defense, just four days after giving up 258 on the ground, held the Packers (albeit the league's worst rushing offense) to 66 yards on the ground.

"I think first and foremost, I thought upfront did a great job with stopping the run, setting the tone early from that standpoint," said Scott. "I think the back end, starting with myself, I think we oozed a little bit."

In the end, that was the rub. The Packers went 9-of-16 on third down, including several third-and-longs. One of those came on a touchdown that put Green Bay up by two possessions just before half.

After a batted Bryce Young ball turned into an interception, the Packers took over on a short field. On third-and-13, Carolina sent a safety blitz with Scott, but Packers quarterback Jordan Love got rid of the ball in time, hitting receiver Matthew Golden, who had split the back end of Tre'von Moehrigand Wheatley for the touchdown.

As guys explained afterwards, it was just the perfect call for that coverage, adding that the Panthers had the right call on their side. The Packers just found one to beat it.

"They were having a lot of success in some third-and-longer types of situations," noted Canales.

"I'd love to see us be able to get off the field in those moments because we did a great job on first and second down, owning the run game and minimizing them so that we could put them in those — really should have been an advantage for our defense in those modes."

Carolina has a mini-bye to recover and reassess before the Denver Broncos come in for a Week 9 game in Charlotte. No one is panicking after back-to-back losses because they see the vision for something more, from starters possibly returning soon to a front seven bouncing back and a secondary that's had ample growing pains but may be finding its footing.

"I say just get our bodies back and then, just having the same approach," said Moehrig to what their focus will be on this mini-bye weekend. "I don't think the approach changes. I just want to keep going to work, working hard, not riding the highs and lows, and just staying together.

"We got a lot of games left; we can make a run, so that's what we're going to be looking forward to."