The Carolina Panthers moved to 1-5 this past weekend after suffering a 38-20 defeat at the hands (and feet) of the Atlanta Falcons.

Now, the team is set to embark on a two-game road trip—starting with a late-afternoon bout with the 4-2 Washington Commanders on Sunday.

But before we get to kickoff from the nation's capital, let's open up this Week 7 mailbag and answer some of your questions . . .

Notes: questions have been edited for clarity

Studs and duds from Week 6

Which Panthers were studs and who were duds against the Falcons? – Ed H.

Considering the lowly vibes right now, we should start with the studs from Week 6. I think some obvious choices are running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Those two remain the best offensive playmakers through six games, and have made quite an impact in their respective contract years.

Two more definite studs on offense include starting center Brady Christensen and right tackle Yosh Nijman, who filled in for Taylor Moton. I've not felt this good about Carolina's depth along the offensive line in quite some time. Both players were a big reason why the team surrendered no sacks, and their play was as good as it could.

Defensively, there were more duds. The one stud I felt very confident about was edge rusher Charles Harris. He generated pressure on Kirk Cousins quite a few times through one of the better left tackles in Jake Matthews. Should the Panthers begin using a pass rush group of Jadeveon Clowney, Harris, Shaq Lawson and Marquis Haynes, the former 2017 first-round selection could be an impact player down the line.

I'll add another player that some may not think of. Tight end Feleipe Franks was exceptional on special teams and made some great tackles during the game, including one on kickoff coverage that got the crowd hyped up.

Changing things up on Ejiro Evero's defense

If Ejiro Evero is such a good DC, and our current defensive scheme has done nothing at all to stop teams from scoring through 6 weeks, why isn't he changing things up? I get we are razor-thin on talent due to injuries but it seems he should scheme for the players he has, not the ones he wishes he had. – Jed F.

This is a very good question, Jed. This is one of the more interesting things I'm looking to see play out over the next few weeks.

Most coaches in the NFL are stubborn. This is not me trying to be a jerk toward any coach, but this is the reality of the sport. If you believe something works, keep going with it. Hundreds of coaches across the country are stubborn in their ways and with how they teach players or call plays.

Sometimes, that stubbornness can hurt a team, especially one that is dealing with numerous injuries. The Panthers run Cover 3 more than any other team in the NFL. It's almost their default coverage, and the lack of diversity in different coverage shells seems concerning. Evero is known to be creative with his pressures and how to attack the quarterback.

Right now, it doesn't seem like the Panthers have the correct personnel or the talent level to defend the run or generate consistent pressure. I'm inclined to believe Evero's defense could be more successful with Cover 1 and quarters coverage. There have been times throughout the season when Evero makes man coverage calls and the defense has success.

It doesn't seem like Carolina's defense will be an easy fix. It's a bad unit in the trenches and one that will not be corrected until at least this offseason, as it is unlikely that the front office will make a move around the trade deadline. Evero might be an issue, but he is far from the biggest.

Enough tools to succeed on defense

Throughout these two seasons, did the Panthers front office give coach Ejiro Evero enough tools to succeed? – Jack L.

That's a tough question. Last season, I thought Carolina had the pieces to be a successful defense in the long term if the likes of outside linebackers Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu were retained. That did not turn out to be the case.

This offseason, the Panthers implemented a heavy focus on constructing the offensive side of the ball, and signed several bridge and gap-like players to their defense. It turns out the lack of depth caused by the previous regime has led to a defense with no starting-caliber talent in the trenches at times.

Initially, yes, the Panthers did give Evero enough tools to succeed with. However, the front office was limited in the number of resources they could use from both a financial and draft capital perspective during the offseason. They were unable to get long-term contracts done with Burns and Luvu, who are now having relative success for their new teams.

This year was always going to be one where the offense would be competitive with defensive struggles throughout the season, though no one expected them to be the "get right" group.

Whether or not Evero is retained in 2025, expect Carolina to have a significant focus on the defensive side of the ball in free agency and the draft.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers Wire mailbag: What fans want to know ahead of Week 7