CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There was no way for the Panthers to make the film from their 38-17 loss in Green Bay look any better than it was. But the tape apparently revealed something that may be a bigger concern than poor execution.

“We’re not competing hard enough,” linebacker Thomas Davis claimed Monday. “From the film we watched, we have a lot of guys that on a consistent enough basis are not competing hard enough, and it’s showing up.”

That’s a disturbing takeaway from one of the Panthers’ captains. But for one half against the Bears, the defense hasn’t been good for more than a month.

While searching for reasons, most have looked for a drop-off in talent from 2013’s second-ranked unit. This group has many of the same faces, but it doesn’t appear to be playing with the same passion.

“If you look at last year’s defense, if I miss a tackle or someone misses a tackle, we had guys flying around and making that play. It covered up some of the stuff that was going on,” Davis said.

“You have to be willing to go out and compete and give yourself up for this team, for this defense. You have to play like that the whole game. You can’t pick your spots and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to play right now, and I’m going to take this play off.’ That play you take off could cost us the game.”

The Panthers are obviously having a harder time without Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy, who’s been in NFL limbo since Week 3. But it’s fair to wonder whether they’re also missing safety Mike Mitchell. They would have been silly to match the five-year, $25 million contract the Steelers gave Mitchell last offseason, but he did provide a certain edge to last year’s defense.

The Panthers rebuilt their secondary with veteran safeties Roman Harper and Thomas DeCoud and cornerback Antoine Cason, while ends Wes Horton, Mario Addison and rookie Kony Ealy are trying to fill Hardy’s spot. Seven weeks into the season, the pieces still aren’t fitting into place.

Most of the numbers are ugly, and they’re getting worse each week.

After allowing at least 37 points in four of their last five games, the Panthers have given up 195 points. They allowed just 241 all of last year.

The 2013 defense gave up 13.8 points per game, the second fewest in the league. This year they’re allowing an average of 27.9, which ranks 29th.

The Panthers also are missing way too many tackles, something that’s led opposing offenses to gain chunks of yards after the catch. According to Pro Football Focus, the Packers picked up 193 of their 241 passing yards after the catch on Sunday.

“When you play fast and you play physical, you’re going to miss some tackles,” defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said. “As long as somebody else is coming, that’s OK. It’s when you’re missing tackles from technique, and nobody else is there (that it becomes a problem). We’ve got to do a better job of swarming and gang tackling.”

Another problem is what’s happening before the Panthers have to make a tackle. They’re allowing a 70 percent completion rate, the league’s third-highest mark. Only the Raiders and Bucs, who have just one win between them, are allowing passes to be completed at a higher clip.

The last five quarterbacks who faced the Panthers have been especially efficient. Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Jay Cutler, Andy Dalton and Aaron Rodgers combined to connect on a stunningly high 76.5 percent of their passes (124 of 162). All those completions added up to 1,390 yards, with 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

“We’ve got to find a way to contest throws. The NFL is a game of contested throws. We didn’t have a pass breakup yesterday,” McDermott said.

Despite the negative numbers, the Panthers (3-3-1) are somehow still in first place. And while that mostly speaks to the current quality — or lack thereof — in the NFC South, if the defense doesn’t figure out a way to play better or harder, Carolina’s place atop the standings will change soon.

“We’re No. 1 in the division right now; but, if we continue to play the way we have, it won’t last long,” Davis said. “First and foremost, we have to go out and do our jobs against Seattle, or the outcome won’t be any different than the one we had this past weekend.”

NOTES: LT Byron Bell suffered a deep elbow contusion in the second half and RG Trai Turner sprained his ankle and knee in the first quarter. Turner likely will not face the Seattle Seahawks this week. Coach Ron Rivera is hopeful Bell and LG Amini Silatolu, who missed the game with a strained calf, will play. … RB Jonathan Stewart had his most rushing yards (55) since the 2011 season finale (79, vs. Atlanta). … RB DeAngelo Williams, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 4, walked through the locker room on Monday without a limp. The Panthers hope he can at least practice this week. … TE Greg Olsen, who caught all eight of his targets, set a career high with 105 receiving yards.

REPORT CARD VS. PACKERS

–PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus — Quarterback Cam Newton had his most inaccurate game of the year, completing 17 of 31 passes for 205 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Carolina’s offensive line, which didn’t allow a sack last week in Cincinnati, didn’t help Newton. The unit gave up three sacks while also losing right guard Trai Turner (ankle) and left tackle Byron Bell (elbow) to injuries. Tight end Greg Olsen had eight receptions for 105 yards, a career high. Receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who played after suffering a concussion last week, had three catches for 61 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: D-plus — Thanks mostly to its leaky defense, the Panthers never had a chance to try to establish the run against the worst run defense in the league. Running back Jonathan Stewart returned from a three-game absence, but he had room to run for just 55 yards on 14 carries. Newton added seven carries for 41 yards.

–PASS DEFENSE: F — Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is arguably the hottest QB in the league, but the Panthers offered zero resistance. Rodgers was an easy 19 of 22 for 255 yards and three touchdowns. He could have done much more damage if Green Bay did not take its foot off the gas after going up 28-0.

–RUSH DEFENSE: C — The Packers didn’t run much because they didn’t need to stop picking the Panthers apart through the air. When Green Bay did run, they broke a handful of tackles. Eddie Lacey and James Starks combined for 99 yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: B-minus — Brad Nortman was arguably the Panthers’ best player. He averaged 43 yards on seven punts, including a 67-yarder. Graham Gano made a 33-yard field goal, his only attempt of the game. Returner Philly Brown left in the second half after suffering a concussion.

–COACHING: D — Coach Ron Rivera was sensitive when asked about his defense’s struggles last week, but that unit has given up at least 37 points four times in its last five games. This isn’t just a one-play or one-game problem. The offense was not good, but the defense gave the Panthers no shot to beat the Packers.