EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Panthers might not have had the kind of pass rush they were hoping for in the first six weeks of the season, but they had a pretty good idea of what they had in Jaycee Horn.

So when the Pro Bowl cornerback came up with a pair of interceptions in the second half of the 13-6 win at the Jets on Sunday in MetLife Stadium, it was evidence of what he means to this team, on a day when the entire defense stepped up.

"A lot," Pro Bowl defensive tackle Derrick Brown said of Horn's value. "I mean, I wouldn't throw the ball at him, but they did, so you know it is what it is."

And what it was was a dominant defensive performance for a team that's moving in the right direction.

The Panthers held the Jets to a pair of field goals, as they used a pair of quarterbacks.

And while both of Horn's picks came against backup Tyrod Taylor, they managed to sack Taylor and starting quarterback Justin Fields three times each.

For a defense that had managed just 5.0 sacks in the first six games, that was an eye-opener too.

"It's just a testament to guys really committing to stopping the run so we can get after the quarterback," said rookie outside linebacker Nic Scourton, who finished the game with 1.5 sacks, his first in the NFL the week after he returned to the starting lineup after the season-ending injury to Pat.

But he wasn't the only one getting after the quarterback.

Brown had 2.0, A'Shawn Robinson and Tre'von Moehrig had a single each, and Princely Umanmielen got a half, on a day when he left the game with a back issue after Brown landed on top of him.

When Panthers head coach Dave Canales was asked about Horn's big day, he kept coming back to those other plays, too, as the Panthers had a group effort.

"Just clutch play, doing right, doing right longer, and that's, that's our definition of finish," Canales began. "And putting himself in position to make those plays, and really just his ability, his ball skills, to be able to come up with those plays was huge for us, and gave us a chance to put it away with the interception.

"But the defense just showed up collectively. Princely, another guy that just showed up for us today and got banged up a little bit and went back out there and finished, and I thought what a great step for him of just telling the team how much this means to him, to be out there and be available for the guys."

That was the kind of day it was for the Panthers' defense, which has been ascending since the Week 1 trip to Jacksonville that got all of their attention. They entered the week ranked 10th in the league in yards allowed, evidence of their progress, and that number should climb since they gave up just 220 yards to the Jets.

They also allowed 7-of-15 third-down conversions, higher than they want to see, and that got mentioned in the postgame as well.

But that kind of scrutiny will come tomorrow when they gather to watch the film.

Sunday, in a victorious road locker room (the first one of those they've been in since the 2024 finale at Atlanta), they were able to enjoy the day. They laughed along with linebacker Trevin Wallace about his downfield pass breakup, and they acknowledged that Horn, the leader of the back of the defense, was just that guy.

"They pay him big bucks for that stuff," Wallace said of Horn. "and he's doing it at an elite level, like one of the best cornerbacks in the league, and I'm glad he's on our team."

"Shut down the whole side of the field," Scourton agreed. "The man's ball skills are elite. He's the ultimate competitor. They pay him a lot of money for a reason, and today, two turnovers."

It was Horn's first two-pick game in the NFL (he had five interceptions in his first four seasons, and one in the opener at Jacksonville), but it's the kind of thing he's capable of.

And when he talked about the defense as a whole, you could tell he thought this was the kind of game the group was capable of as well.

"Just us staying together as a defense," Horn said. "We knew coming into the game, they had a good defense, and we're going to have to outplay them. That's one thing Coach E (defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero) said all throughout the week: we're going to have to create takeaways, and outplay their defense.

"And that's what we did today, every position group, defensive line dominated, stopping the run and you know getting back there pressuring the quarterback, and I think we missed probably like three or four sacks too, so they, they played their ass off and we've just got to get back to the drawing board tomorrow and get ready for next week."

That kind of getting back to work mentality was prevalent, and it comes from above.

Just as a couple of players noted Horn and his contract, their other big earner on that side of the ball carries the message that has resonated.

After every game, Brown is the one who tells them to get back to work, and because he's Derrick Brown, they listen.

"Just everybody's confidence continues to build as we continue to do this," Brown said. "It's not about who we play, it's about who our next opponent is. For us, continue to follow through our process throughout the week, and that's when we have a good performance.

"We have to stress process throughout the week, and you know things just aren't what they're supposed to be, then that's when we fall short, so we know that."

That's not to say he didn't enjoy it, even though he's the adult who reminds them all what comes next.

"Yeah, I'll enjoy it for the rest of the night, but when that clock turns over and I wake up in the morning, that's it," Brown said. "This is how it works."