Jaycee Horn had the funniest reaction to Falcons' offensive incompetence

The Panthers star continued his lockdown season, but even he didn't know how good the defense was.

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) on the sidelines in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers throttled a team defensively on Sunday. In the year 2025. After having the worst defense in the NFL by a wide stretch and one of the worst in history last year. We're all pretty shocked at just how stifling the Panthers were in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Some of the players are a little stunned, too, particularly star cornerback Jaycee Horn. The Falcons were pretty horrendous on offense, and when informed of just how bad it was, Horn had a hilarious reaction after the game.

Jaycee Horn can't believe how bad the Falcons were

Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) taunts the Jacksonville Jaguars fans after collecting an interception during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Panthers 26-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaycee Horn continued his incredible season on Sunday. He nearly intercepted a pass and again was able to keep the Falcons receivers in check. He wasn't targeted all that much, and he made plays when he was.

Me: "Are you aware (the Falcons) never reached the 30-yard line?

Jaycee Horn: "No, I didn't know that. That's bad."@ChrisLeaTV pic.twitter.com/XLpqDuq9zX

— Dennis Cox (@TheFanRookie) September 21, 2025

The whole defense made plays, so much so that Atlanta never even reached Carolina's 30-yard line. The Falcons never even sniffed the red zone, and they missed two deep field goals. When told, Horn said, "No, I didn't know that. That's bad."

The Falcons beat themselves in many ways, but this is also partly because the Panthers' defense was as dominant as it has been in the last eight years or more. It was the first 30-point win since 2015 and the first divisional shutout since 2020. It had been some time since the defense looked like this.

Michael Penix Jr. was frustrated by a rejuvenated pass rush that, despite not recording a sack, had multiple pressures and forced errant throws. And even when the throws were on target, Horn and the DBs ended up having pretty good coverage.

Horn is the only corner who started that didn't record an interception, although one clanged off his hands on a diving attempt (although he may have gotten away with some contact on it). Chau Smith-Wade and Mike Jackson had one each, with Smith-Wade returning his for a score and Jackson coming pretty close.

Time will tell if this was a result of Carolina's defense coming alive or Atlanta's incompetence. It was probably a mix because the first two weeks were still mediocre for Carolina, and there's just no way the defense was truly rebuilt in one offseason.

Nevertheless, this was an inspiring outing, one that should probably embarrass the Falcons a bit. They were surprisingly bad on Sunday, so much so that even Jaycee Horn couldn't believe it.