Packers beat Panthers 27-19 as Jordan Love throws three touchdowns and defence takes six sacks
Jordan Love threw for 288 yards and three scores as Green Bay beat Carolina 27-19 at Lambeau, with Christian Watson back from hospital for 113 yards.
At a glance
- Green Bay beat Carolina 27-19 at Lambeau Field on Thursday, October 29, opening Week 8 and moving to 5-3.
- Jordan Love went 30 of 41 for 288 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
- Christian Watson had eight catches for 113 yards after going to hospital by ambulance with a chest injury and returning in the second half.
- The Packers took a season-high six sacks of Bryce Young, who finished 23 of 41 for 209 yards.
The Green Bay Packers beat the Carolina Panthers 27-19 at Lambeau Field on Thursday night, with Jordan Love throwing three touchdown passes and a defence without Micah Parsons sacking Bryce Young six times. The win lifts Green Bay to 5-3 and leaves Carolina 3-4.
The result came despite three Packers turnovers, which Carolina turned into only three points. Christian Watson, meanwhile, left for hospital in an ambulance and came back to lead the game in receiving yards.
How a 10-6 deficit turned in the second quarter
Green Bay started badly. Coleman Owen fumbled the opening kickoff, and although Tucker Kraft caught a 12-yard touchdown from Love, Trey Smack missed the extra point. Chuba Hubbard's 1-yard run and a 39-yard Ryan Fitzgerald field goal put Carolina ahead 10-6 after one quarter.
The second quarter belonged to the home side. Josh Jacobs ran in from a yard out and Matthew Golden caught a 24-yard touchdown for a 20-10 halftime lead. Jacobs added a 4-yard touchdown catch in the third, and Fitzgerald's 50-yarder left it 27-13 going into the final quarter.
| Quarter | Packers | Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| First | 6 | 10 |
| Second | 14 | 0 |
| Third | 7 | 3 |
| Fourth | 0 | 6 |
| Final | 27 | 19 |
Carolina's late push and a nervous finish
The Panthers kept it interesting. On fourth-and-3, Young found Jalen Coker for a 26-yard touchdown that capped a 70-yard drive and cut the lead to eight. Love also threw an interception in the end-zone area, and the Packers managed only 6 yards on six carries in the fourth quarter.
Carolina could not find another score. Its offence finished with just 258 yards on 70 plays.
The numbers behind the win
| Player | Team | Line |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Love | Packers | 30-41, 288 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Christian Watson | Packers | 8 catches, 113 yards, long of 53 |
| Matthew Golden | Packers | 7 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD |
| Josh Jacobs | Packers | 21 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD; 6 catches, 13 yards, 1 TD |
| Bryce Young | Panthers | 23-41, 209 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, sacked 6 times |
| Chuba Hubbard | Panthers | 22 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD; 7 catches, 38 yards |
Six different Packers shared the six sacks: Ty'Ron Hopper, who also intercepted Young, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Brenton Cox Jr. and Devonte Wyatt. Young was pressured on nearly half of his dropbacks and took nine hits, playing behind a line missing starting right tackle Taylor Moton and left guard Damien Lewis.
Love beat the pressure on the other side by getting rid of the ball quickly. He completed 23 of 25 throws released in under 2.5 seconds for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
Injuries both sides will watch
Watson's chest injury sent him for precautionary tests before his second-half return. Carolina cornerback Will Lee III was carted off with a hamstring injury, leaving the Panthers with three active corners. Parsons remains out as he works back from the knee injury he suffered last season. Jacobs was playing just days after returning from the Commissioner Exempt List.
Where this leaves the NFC North and NFC South
Green Bay's record may still be worth little in the NFC's toughest division. Minnesota went into the week 6-0, Chicago 5-2 and Detroit 4-2. Carolina's loss means no NFC South team will be at .500 or better after Week 8, and the Panthers could lose first place if Atlanta beats Tampa Bay this week.
The Packers play at the New England Patriots on Sunday, November 8, then host Minnesota a week later. The Panthers host the Denver Broncos on November 8 before travelling to the New Orleans Saints.
