CHARLOTTE — Tre'von Moehrig wasn't a part of this Panthers' defense last season. He doesn't have those past performances to gauge how far the unit may have come. But that also means their memory is lost on him.

It's allowed the safety, who is not only a starter but has become a chess piece for the Panthers in the secondary, to look at this defense with fresh eyes. And after one of the better rush defense performances in a year, Moehrig sees a defense that is beginning to execute an offseason's worth of work.

"I think just the attention to detail," said Moehrig on Monday, of the Panthers holding the Cardinals to 82 yards on the ground Sunday. "Everybody just trying to be on the same page and everybody just flying around trying to, you know, tackle, make the play, and, you know, set edges and all that you know just came into play and we did a good job in the second half."

Granted, the defense had to tighten up in the second half after the Cardinals posted 27 points, though 10 came after a pair of early turnovers. But after the Cardinals scored to open the second half and posted that 27-3 lead, Moehrig saw a defense that, instead of imploding, leaned on each other.

"I think it just goes back to everybody just wanting to be on the same page and everybody doing it for each other, everybody having each other's back," explained Moehrig.

"And then just going out there and playing our brand of football that we know that we see in practice, that we go out there and do with our guys every day, so that was kind of mentality, going into the rest of the half."

There is still much to learn from the tape, though. Carolina was unable to mount a comeback, despite rallying from down 27-3, to have a chance on the last drive when it was 27-22. Some of that will be addressing how offenses, through these first two weeks, have been keen to attack the intermediate areas of the field.

According to Next Gen Stats, opponents (Jaguars and Cardinals) have run in-breaking routes against the Panthers on 37.5 percent of passing plays, in addition to 14.3 percent of throws to the flat.

Those are tendencies that could very well even out over the course of the season, and for now, Moehrig says he and the defense aren't worried about the details of where a play might be near as much as stopping it from happening.

"I think you know it really is, you know, it's NFL, anybody can make a play in that situation, and you know that's just how things happened in the first half with the tight ends," Moehrig offered, explaining how opponents' tight ends have taken advantage of that space.

"And then we were able to capitalize on some of the things on the back end of the game and play our style and not let that happen as we did the first half…Just cover him and prevent the ball from getting there, and him catching the ball. That's really the main goal; there's nothing really too much special to do about it."

Moehrig has done his part to stop those plays from happening, leading the team in tackles in both games thus far, and with 20 overall. In most cases, a safety leading in tackles would indicate a defense letting too many plays get to the second level. But Moehrig is a run-stopping safety who has made 15 of his 20 tackles within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, including one behind the line.

It's helped give this defense, which made a concerted effort to shore up the run defense this offseason, a pillar. Now, the Panthers head into Week 3, hoping their hard-tackling safety, rebuilt line, and production against the Cardinals have begun to solidify a foundation that can last all season.

Said Moehrig, as to what it will take, "I would just say everybody being on the same page at the very beginning of the game, just going out there, making sure our communication is right, making sure all the fits are right, technique is right.

"There's really no magic sauce; it's just everybody being on the same page and making sure it's right from the start of the game."