LANDOVER, Md. -- The Carolina Panthers didn't let Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman beat them on Monday night in front of a national television audience.

Even bigger, they didn't beat themselves, as they have so often this season.

Their 26-15 victory at FedEx Field was further evidence the Panthers have gotten past the short-term impact of losing Norman, who signed with the Redskins after Carolina rescinded his franchise tag in April.

"It was a lot of 'Josh Norman is coming back to play us,'" Panthers defensive end Wes Horton said. "We are used to that with the media. You guys are trying to get the big story. We were more focused on what we needed to do to win."

That doesn't diminish a disastrous 1-5 start that all but ended the defending NFC champions' chances of returning to the playoffs, but rookie cornerbacks James Bradberry and Daryl Worley continue to trend upward.

It's a little late for the Panthers (6-8), who would need things to go right in 10 separate games over the next two weeks to make the playoffs. That includes Washington (7-6-1) finishing with a loss and a tie, and there's a 1 percent chance a team ties.

Carolina's secondary gave up 21 pass plays of 20-plus yards during that 1-5 start, but the team can reap the long-term benefits of not keeping Norman, which could prove significant in terms of salary-cap savings.

Norman would have counted $13.95 million against the cap this season. He wanted a deal similar to the five-year, $75 million contract he received from Washington.

Bradberry and Worley will count close to $8 million combined over four years.

That's a lot of cap space for Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman to upgrade the injury-plagued offensive line and perhaps add an edge rusher.

Gettleman still doesn't get a pass for rescinding the offer on Norman, which in hindsight was the biggest factor in Carolina's letdown following a trip to the Super Bowl.

But the future looks bright after Bradberry and Worley made Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins look average in what has been a potential Pro Bowl season.

"The message was loud and clear, it was about coming out and competing," Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis said. "Playing our style of football, not quitting. We were never built like that. Not a team who is going to lay down against anybody.

"We heard a lot about they had playoff hopes and we don't. We heard that stuff all week long. It was all about coming out and competing all week long."

The Panthers also heard a lot about Norman all week, but they made it clear this wasn't about beating him.

"We've been playing without Josh the whole season," said Panthers safety Kurt Coleman, who snagged an interception in the first half on Monday. "It's been a process. We're learning how to finish games.

"It's a learning process and a growing process. It's been a journey throughout this season. Obviously, we're not where we want to be. It's not ideal. It's been such a learning curve for these guys, and they've come a long way."

Bradberry hopes everyone can move on from Norman now.

"That was the point, to compete and play well, to see us as our own entity," he said. "We proved we're a pretty good defense overall against a high-powered offense."

Norman's biggest moment in Monday's game came in the third quarter, when Carolina quarterback Cam Newton challenged him on a deep pass to Ted Ginn Jr.

You knew it would eventually happen, as both Norman and Newton admitted earlier in the week their egos would force the issue.

Norman went up for the ball at the goal line but couldn't come down with it.

Otherwise, Carolina's 2012 fifth-round pick wasn't much of a factor. Newton successfully went after Norman twice in the first quarter, completing an 18-yard pass to Ginn and a 10-yarder to Kelvin Benjamin.

Asked what he thought of the players who have replaced him in the Carolina secondary, Norman said, "We should have been more aggressive against them."

But this was about much more than the Panthers versus Norman, despite the pregame hype. It was about setting the stage for 2017 and beyond for a Carolina team that continues to play without middle linebacker Luke Kuechly.

"That's what you're looking for [growth in the secondary]," Carolina coach Ron Rivera said. "This is a good combination of receivers [the Redskins] have, it's a good combination of tight ends. They're dangerous in terms of explosiveness.

"They're averaging 400 yards of total offense a game, and we were able to keep that down and keep it in front of us."

As for Kuechly, the three-time Pro Bowler missed his fourth consecutive game with a concussion and likely won't play the rest of the season, with the playoffs basically out of the equation.

Rivera didn't rule out Kuechly for Saturday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, but the coach reiterated that Carolina's playoff hopes were "minuscule."

Add a fully healthy Kuechly to the defense next season with a secondary that has matured over the past two months, and this unit has a chance to return to the top-10 status it held the past three years.

Maybe top-five.

Say what you want about Newton and an offense that led the league in scoring last season, but this team has been built around defense and will continue to be as long as Rivera is the head coach.

Perhaps now Carolina can fully move on from Norman.

"We just want to come out and compete," Newton said. "Coach challenged us all as men, as players, as professionals to come out and do our job.

"That's what we tried to do, and that's what we did."