Panthers looking to “Bounce Back” in Green Bay

by Sharon Thorsland

For the second straight week, the Panthers take on one of the best offenses in the NFL, traveling to historic Lambeau Field for a matchup with the Green Bay Packers. They’re looking to reset after an ugly loss to the Bills last week that snapped their three-game win streak and moved them to 4-4 on the season. The Packers are coming off a Sunday night win over the Steelers and are 5-1-1 on the season, best in the NFC.

Quarterback Jordan Love directs a potent offense that averages over 27 points per game. He’s thrown for nearly 1800 yards with 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions, and he’s only been sacked 10 times through seven games, that’s fourth in the league. Love has plenty of talented receivers to work with, including Romeo Doubs and deep threat Christian Watson. But his favorite target is tight end Tucker Kraft. He leads the packers with 30 catches and six touchdowns, and is averaging over 16 yards a catch. Veteran running back Josh Jacobs also a good receiver with 19 receptions for 191 yards. The All-Pro has picked up 447 yards on the ground and has nine touchdowns. He’ll face a Panthers defense that got gashed last week but still ranks 11th overall in the league.

The Packers defense is very good, they rank 6th overall in the NFL and are third against the run, limiting teams to under 79 yards per game on the ground. Star defensive end Micah Parsons leads the attack. The All-Pro was acquired from the Cowboys this offseason and that move has certainly paid off. Parsons has 6.5 sacks through seven games, teaming with veteran Rashan Gary, who has 7.5 sacks. Teams have had more success throwing the ball than running it against the Packers, they allow over 210 passing yards per game, that’s 15th in the league. The secondary is anchored by All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney. Former Gamecock standout Keisean Nixon starts at cornerback.

These teams have met 18 times before, with the Packers leading the series 12-6. Seven of the last eight matchups have been decided by eight points or less, including the last time they met in 2023, a 33-30 Packers win at Bank of American stadium.