FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A week ago, at home, the Panthers' defense was able to celebrate the ultimate win.

Sunday was the opposite.

There was little to say after a 42-13 loss to the Patriots that made last week's 30-0 win over the Falcons seem like a month ago.

"Sucks, that's it," defensive captain Derrick Brown said of the wild swing of emotion from week to week. "You can't win 30-0 and get your a-- whooped with today. I mean, it's not a good feeling."

That was the short version, and an accurate summation of the day for a team that allowed 42 straight points after an early touchdown (though that included a lot of special teams breakdowns, including an 87-yard punt return touchdown).

And the numbers they allowed were not egregious, in and of themselves.

The Patriots gained 307 total yards, and the league average entering the week was 318.6.

The Panthers allowed 33.3 percent on third-down conversions, which will make their season average go down and not up.

They gave up 104 yards on the ground, which is actually respectable considering the score and game situations.

But they also managed just a single sack by Tershawn Wharton, though that doubled their season total.

That's why rookie outside linebacker Nic Scourton shook his head when asked how it went so wrong so quickly after it went so right.

They were playing without starting outside linebackers Patrick Jones II and D.J. Wonnum, leaving Scourton and DJ Johnson in the starting lineup, backed up by Princely Umanmielen and practice-squad call-up Boogie Basham. But they also got Wharton back after he had been out since the opener, and that had created some belief that they might be able to sustain something.

"I think we turned the page on last week, last week," Scourton said. "I mean, it really doesn't matter. I think this week, we've just got to play better, man. We've got to get the quarterback. I feel like we're not pressuring the quarterback enough and taking stress off those guys in the back end.

"And that comes from stopping the run and getting them in better position, getting them to longer second downs. And that's how you go out there and you rush the passer, I mean, I think that's what it was."

Cornerback Jaycee Horn said there wasn't anything revolutionary or surprising about what the Patriots were doing, most of it was things they had prepared for all week, even if it wasn't executed.

"Everything they ran, we prepped for it," Horn said. "They just got the better of us today."

Those kinds of short answers were common on that side of the ball.

Horn and Brown had each talked last week about becoming more consistent, about stacking good performances and wins. And Sunday, they did not.

"I mean, we've got to be better, right?" Brown said. "No matter if we get short field, no matter what happens before us, we've got to be better in all three phases of the game in order for us to win."