The Packers beat the Panthers 27-19 at Lambeau Field on Thursday night. Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes, and Josh Jacobs scored twice. ESPN's game story noted that Green Bay won despite three turnovers. Pro Football Talk and Yahoo Sports described the win as a hold-on job and pointed to a sluggish fourth quarter. The box score backs that up. Green Bay led 27-13 after three quarters, was outscored 6-0 in the fourth, and had to stop Carolina's late drives to finish it.
Love completed 30 of 41 for 288 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, a 106.6 rating, and was not sacked. Christian Watson was his top target, with eight catches for 113 yards, including a 53-yarder. Yahoo's winners-and-losers column singled out Watson along with Love. Watson also lost one of Green Bay's two fumbles. Jacobs's two scores split between the ground and the air: one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown, among six catches. On the ground he managed only 39 yards on 21 carries. The Packers ran for 66 yards at 2.5 a carry, which fits Yahoo's note that the running game was still absent.
The other half of the game was the pass rush. Yahoo's game-story headline said pressure got to Bryce Young, and the numbers agree. Green Bay sacked him six times for 33 yards. Six different defenders took part, including Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell and Devonte Wyatt, and Ty'Ron Hopper also intercepted him. Young finished 23 of 41 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and Carolina averaged 3.7 yards per play against Green Bay's 5.3. The Panthers converted 5 of 18 third downs. Young had been at 7.5 yards per attempt on the season, 1,712 yards on 228 attempts before this game.
Carolina is 3-4 and has lost two straight. The Panthers fell 43-13 to Tampa Bay on Sunday after a 25-14 win at Philadelphia on Oct. 18. Yahoo said they fell into a tie for the NFC South lead, and the standings agree. They share first place with Atlanta at 3-4, with Tampa Bay and New Orleans at 2-5, so the division is open. Their run differential is minus-15.
Green Bay moved to 5-3, but the standings still put it fourth in the NFC North, two games behind Minnesota, which is 6-0. Chicago is 5-2 and Detroit 4-2. The Packers lost 20-17 at Detroit on Sunday and beat Dallas 23-13 the week before. One wire detail is wrong. The Associated Press headline, carried by Sportsnet, says the win keeps Green Bay pace in the "AFC North." The Packers play in the NFC North.
Both teams play next on Sunday, Nov. 8. Green Bay is at New England, which is 4-3. Carolina hosts Denver, which is 5-2 and has won three straight.
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