CHARLOTTE — Chau Smith-Wade didn't need to see the film on Monday to know what coaches were going to highlight. He knew in the moment, as it unfolded on Sunday, that he'd made a mistake.

From the 31-yard line, Patriots tight end Hunter Henry took a pass over the middle and ran laterally towards the sideline. Once he had the edge, Henry kept along the line, using blockers, on his way to the end zone for the touchdown. At one point, it looked like Smith-Wade had a bead on the big tight end, with a chance to knock him out of bounds. Instead, the nickel corner went for the ball, trying to punch it out for what would've been the only turnover of the day.

He was unsuccessful, and Henry went relatively untouched the rest of the way for the score.

"We teach first guy in (has) got to make the tackle," coach Dave Canales explained on Monday. "Second guy look to punch that ball out. Make sure we secure the tackle first, before we go making attempts at the ball right there. So I'd love to see (Chau) put his shoulder on him, a right shoulder tackle right there, knock him out of bounds, and we'll keep playing football."

The Panthers were trailing 28-6 at that point, on the first drive of the second half. Henry's score would have—and did, make it 35-6 and effectively put the game out of hand. Instinct tells a defender to make a game-changing play. Habits ask them to play within the defense, doing your "1/11th" as coaches like to say. So when it was Smith-Wade's turn at the mic Monday afternoon, he echoed his coach's message and took responsibility for the play.

"We have steps when it comes to certain things," Smith-Wade concurred. "The first player is there to make the tackle. The second player has to punch out the ball, and I kind of overrode that, so to say. I was looking to make a play, and I should have just stuck with what our standard is and continue to work that.

"I truly do believe that I was giving my best effort as I do on any play, you know, it just boils down to the standard of how we play on defense."

Canales and Smith-Wade both spoke to the accountability that comes with such a moment. It's a lesson for the second-year player, yes, but also a reminder of why standards are put into place and habits harped on in practice.

"Anytime there's a play like that, whether it's offense or defense, those guys are looking to correct us on what we did wrong," said Smith-Wade. "And Dave knows the guys who will instantly get on themselves and hold themselves accountable versus the guys who need a coach to get in their ear. So, he'll do what's appropriate."

Sometimes, though, it means more coming from a teammate than a coach, or even yourself. Jaycee Horn, immediately as Henry crossed the goal line, turned back towards Smith-Wade and said something. As the nickel explained Monday, it was his veteran taking charge of the situation directly.

"Jaycee is one of those guys who, you know, he's just one of those vets on his team who's going to hold everybody accountable," Smith-Wade shared. "So that's exactly what he did, and I heard him out, and I was obviously in the wrong, so I took everything that he had to say to me."

One play does not a loss make, though. The Patriots' game was lost on numerous plays, as defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton explained while examining the game as a whole.

"I think, you know, it's football, people are going to make mistakes. So, anytime someone's out of place, the other team get paid as well," said Wharton. "So, you know, it affects you, but there's nothing that we could dwell on. It's kind of the next play mentality when you're out there on the field."

But it was not the only reason for the loss. The fact this performance, in which New England finished with 307 total yards and 35 points against the defense (one touchdown was scored on special teams), came just one week after a 30-0 shutout win against the Falcons during which Smith-Wade had a pick-six was a sobering reality for the group on how important Canales' mantra of starting fast and finishing strong can be towards a win.

"A few things that I noticed from this game was our start and also our finish," said Smith-Wade. "We didn't get off to an amazing start as we did last week. I think that's just a standard thing; guys just being able to recognize the standard and the importance of being able to start fast. So, that was something that I noticed early on."

And for Wharton, who has been a part of championship defenses in his four short years in the NFL, this is far from the end of the story of the Panthers' defense.

"I came here with a purpose and a reason," promised Wharton. "So, we're just continuing to build our culture and we'll be fine."