The Carolina Panthers defense drew fierce criticism for allowing 59 points to the Chicago Bears. Sunday presented the reigning NFC South champs a chance to do more than redeem themselves. But get Dave Canales and his staff to win back their fans against the Atlanta Falcons.

Canales ended up watching a GOAT defensive outing from one of his own defenders.

The now third-year head coach saw a prouder defensive effort in the 34-3 trouncing of the Falcons. Carolina bottled Falcons starting quarterback Cooper Rush to just 86 passing yards with two interceptions. High octane running back Bijan Robinson got held to 72 yards rushing. But both took a backseat to linebacker Devin Lloyd's performance.

Lloyd produced more than nine tackles to tie for the team lead. He pulled off two interceptions, sparking this glowing take from Canales postgame.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen a better performance by a linebacker in 17 years,” Canales shared via Panthers insider for The Athletic Joe Person.

Lloyd also grabbed one sack of Rush too in showcasing his versatility. And he scored one touchdown to help seal the exclamation point for Carolina.

Devin Lloyd pick-6 🗣️

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Lloyd even admitted to feeding off of the home crowd's energy despite being on the road. Simply because he overheard the boos for Rush.

“Whenever your own crowd turns around against you, it’s like, we’ve gotta keep our foot on the neck,” Lloyd said postgame.

Carolina looked like its past playoff contender self again thanks to a more rejuvenated defensive effort. The 27-year-old Lloyd became responsible for the new energy on that side of the ball compared to the week one abomination versus the Bears.