CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cornerback Charles Godfrey was far from the only guy playing poorly on the Carolina Panthers’ sputtering defense, though he was clearly struggling.

The former safety was not a good fit at nickel corner, but his somewhat surprising release Tuesday may act as a wake-up call for the disappointing defense.

“Any time moves are made and things you do gets peoples’ attention, that’s always a positive,” coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday. “This business really is about production, and it’s tough sometimes, but the unintended consequences sometimes can be valuable.”

Rivera desperately needs his defense to find its footing after a disappointing five weeks.

The Panthers allowed only 21 points during a 2-0 start, but they have given up 174 points since Week 3. Now, they face a Sunday matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, who have won each of the last two years in Charlotte.

At 3-3, the Seahawks are reeling as well, but they are the defending Super Bowl champions.

“I don’t think their record is indicative of who they are,” Rivera said.

The Seahawks lost their past two games, including last week to the St. Louis Rams (1-4).

However, Seattle has the No. 2 rushing attack in the league, and quarterback Russell Wilson has the fifth-best passer rating. While the defense tumbled from the No. 1 spot it held last season, the Seahawks still are capable of shutting down an offense.

“It’s the same team, if you ask me,” Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said. “Their core guys are still there. They have a very dominant secondary, a physical secondary that does not hesitate to come downhill and play with reckless abandon and do bodily harm to the opposing team.

“As a fan of the game, you kind of like watching that from your TV. But when you’re out there playing the game, you’ve got to make sure your chinstrap is tightened up a little tighter and understand that executing the game plan is going to be at a premium this week, more than any other week.”

The Panthers are in the middle of a brutal five-game stretch against teams that all went to the playoffs last season. So far they tied the Cincinnati Bengals and were blown out by the Green Bay Packers. After playing the Seahawks, Carolina will host the New Orleans Saints before traveling to Philadelphia for a Monday night game against the Eagles.

While the Panthers are in a very precarious position, they are also fortunate to be in the NFL’s weakest division. If they can manage to answer the wake-up calls and make their third consecutive Charlotte matchup with the Seahawks the charm, the Panthers could hit the season’s halfway point in relatively good shape.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that understand that whatever was done last week was last week,” Newton said. “We’re kind of shedding old skin and coming into new life.

“We can look at it and say, ‘Yeah, we got killed this past week,’ but the optimism of it all is we’re still No. 1. We still have another chance to prove ourselves, not just as players, but as a team.”