CHARLOTTE — The Panthers' run defense had plenty of takeaways from their Week 1 performance. Frankly, when you allow nearly 300 yards on the ground (291 total), there is ample tape from which to work.

So that's what Sunday night and all day Monday were about. Coaches and players poured over the tape, took part in "Tell the Truth Monday," and were brutally honest with each other about what went wrong. That then meant acknowledging what could be fixed to go right.

"There's not a lack of confidence. We didn't play the way that we wanted," said defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. "There's a lot of areas we can coach better as well, but we feel like there's a lot of things that we can certainly improve on and a lot of things that we can correct."

Added linebacker and captain Devin Lloyd, "We didn't handle the run game great last week, so that's a point of emphasis this week. Every week we have a point to prove. I think obviously, defensively, you look at last game, and we didn't perform up to the standard. That's obvious. So whenever you go out next week, it's on us to correct the mistakes and be better."

By Thursday, the defense was fully in prep mode for the Atlanta Falcons, and it was time to move on.

"Just to put a whole close on last week and then I'm not answering more questions about last week — it honestly, man, it sucks," admitted defensive lineman and captain Derrick Brown. "It was an embarrassing loss, but I mean this is what you live for. You got to go and snap back. Any man that faces adversity, it's about what you do next."

Well, what comes next won't get any easier. Because what comes next is Bijan Robinson.

The Falcons do-it-all man has always required full attention from any defense he plays, and even then, he wins more battles than he loses. He was the league leader across the entire NFL last season for yards from scrimmage with 2,298 yards.

"One of the best backs in the league, if not the best," said corner Jaycee Horn. "Just giving him the ball any chance they get; a lot of screens, throwing the ball to him, giving him the ball at the backfield. It kind of reminds me of how we used CMC (Christian McCaffrey) when he was here. He's a good player, and they try to give him a lot of opportunities to break through the defense."

Linebacker Bobby Okereke, who spent years in the AFC South and NFC East, has never faced Robinson. But he's heard plenty of stories.

"He can kind of do a little bit of everything," gushed Okereke of what he's seen on film and been told by teammates. "He runs hard. He's stronger than you probably would think a guy that athletic is, but he's got great stop-start. He's got elite vision.

"He can take it around the edge. He can cut it up the middle. He's kind of like a joystick player. He can do it all. So, you've got to play extremely assignment sound against him, and you got to gang tackle rally to the ball."

When you have a player like that, one who can attack any section of the field, stopping him will dominate a defensive game plan. Last season, in a Panthers 30-27 overtime win, Robinson still gained 143 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 28 touches. He's a home run threat every time he touches the ball.

And this season, he's touching the ball (at least through Week 1) even more.

Against the Steelers last Sunday, the Falcons fed Robinson with 29 touches (21 rushes, eight receptions on 10 targets). He accounted for 73 percent of Atlanta's total offensive production.

"I certainly think Week 1 showed that there's a volume change, right? He's getting a lot more of the share, and of the attempts and the catches and receptions and all those things and so, yeah, we got to be mindful of that," said Evero.

"He's a great player; he can really be a force in the run game and the pass game, and he's always a challenge regardless of the scheme, and so we've got to be ready for him. We know that they're going to get him the ball in the run game, the screen game, out of the backfield, all those different types of looks."

The volume change wasn't a surprise to Brown. The Falcons signed Robinson to a three-year extension in August, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.

"They paid him all that money because they want the ball to go through him," laughed Brown. "They love putting the ball in his hands whether it's out in the backfield or in the air. He's a dynamic back, and they got a lot of great pieces over there."

And now, it's up to the Panthers to try to stop him.

Coaches love to use the phrase "all 11 hats to the ball," especially when it comes to defending a weapon like Robinson. But for this Panthers' defensive scheme to work at its full potential, according to Dave Canales, it truly will require every guy to monitor their run fit.

"(The scheme) does put pressure on the front and the safeties show up from depth to fit into their gaps," explained Canales. "But the front play, the front seven, we got to be really connected on that front seven to make sure that a lot of the runs are getting bottlenecked into alleys and that our guys can show up.

"We ask our corners to play physically on the edges. Those are things that I really appreciate about the scheme."

Added safety Nick Scott, "Most defenses, it just depends on single high or two high, but most defenses, to some degree, the safeties have to fit in the run game. That being the case, a lot of receivers will crack up on the safety, which is just standard football, and then that safety fit becomes the corner's fit. So it really doesn't matter, down in, down out, who's in the run fit. You just got to be in your fit and own your fit.

Those fits get tested this week by one of the best running backs and playmakers in the league.

"That's team defense," said Lloyd. "All 11, working to rally to the special talent that he is. Obviously we got to be disciplined as far as just everybody being in the right spot in the run game and in the screen game, pass game. He can do it all. So just being aware of where he's at and then rally to the ball."

The Falcons still have ample questions around their quarterback situation. Four guys are still a possibility. Michael Penix (knee) and Cooper Rush (back) split the first team reps on Wednesday, and both practiced as full participants on Thursday. Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) did not practice.

In the end though, it might not matter much. As Derrick Brown walked away from his interview on Thursday, he couldn'thelp but laugh and point out that, as long as No. 7 (Robinson) is on the field, he is the Falcons' offensive scheme.