Panthers safety Tre Boston had to wait until Week 7 to make his NFL debut. But that was during a blowout loss to the Packers. When the fourth-round pick was pressed into a much more important role a week later against the Seahawks, he found himself on the wrong side of a game-winning touchdown.Clinging to a 9-6 lead, Carolina was less than a minute away from knocking off its nemesis. After driving the Seahawks 57 yards, quarterback Russell Wilson was set up with a first down at the Panthers’ 23-yard line. Boston was called into service after starter Thomas DeCoud tweaked his hamstring in the third quarter, and when Wilson targeted the rookie against tight end Luke Willson, the coverage was good, but not good enough.

“It was just a great throw. You’ve got to take your hat off to Russ and that tight end for extending his body to catch it,” cornerback Josh Norman recalled Tuesday. “Tre was right on top of it, and those plays happen.”It was a tough opening act for a guy in his first big spot, but Boston’s teammates were quick to react afterward.“I told him it’s not a perfect game played by perfect people, so don’t ever think it that it just comes down to one game won or lost,” safety Roman Harper said. “Learn from your mistakes and be better because of it.”After DeCoud was benched at halftime of the Panthers’ loss in Minnesota, Boston stepped in and has started each week during the five-game win streak. He hasn’t made many glaring errors, and he’s had an interception in each of his last two games, including one he returned for a touchdown against the Falcons.“It takes time, experience, snaps under my belt,” Boston said. “My reps are very valuable to me, so to be able to get those and play the way I am now, it just showed that I needed a couple reps under my belt.”Boston hasn’t taken the most direct route from draft pick to starter. After undergoing hernia surgery in the spring, he missed OTAs, minicamp, most of training camp, and the first few weeks of the season. But he’s a key reason for the Panthers’ defensive surge, and now he gets a chance to make better memories against Seattle.”I was literally fingertips away,” Boston said. “I wouldn’t do anything different, just maybe put another finger on it.”

LEFTOVERS

Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott on Boston:

“He’s done a phenomenal job of responding. I know it was hard on him. It’s always hard when you get beat. It’s hard on all of us. Part of being a great competitor is the mental tough aspect of it too. Being able to hit the reset button and getting back on it the next play.”

Coach Ron Rivera on the play against Seattle:

“For the way he reacted and what he saw, I thought he did it the right way. I do think, though, that as a young player, you start to develop a feel a little bit more as to understanding the way the route was run, how the route was run, and what the quarterback was trying to do to me as the cover safety. Understanding the way he tried to stem me and get me in position, I think helps him. He understands those things, he’s learned those things, and I think he’s gotten better.”