Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers
· National Football LeagueJordan Love, Packers survive rally by Panthers, win 33-30 to keep playoff hopes alive
The first-year starter turned in an effort reminiscent of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, helping the Packers stay in the NFC playoff hunt.
Love threw for two touchdowns, ran for one and made two big completions to set up Anders Carlson's 32-yard field goal with 19 seconds left, and the Packers survived a fourth-quarter rally by Carolina to beat the Panthers 33-30.
Love had touchdown passes of 21 yards to rookie Dontayvion Wicks and 5 yards to Romeo Doubs and scored on a quarterback sneak as the Packers snapped a two-game skid. He's averaged 263 yards passing over the last six games with 13 touchdown passes and only one interception.
“Any time we can get a win, we’re going to celebrate that," Love said. "We kept our playoff hopes alive. We found a way tonight. Obviously now it’s on to next week.”
The Packers (7-8) remain one game behind the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wild-card race.
“We all know what’s in front of us, and we know what we’re capable of," Love said. "We’re just going to go finish this thing off.”
Aaron Jones became the first Packers player this season to exceed 100 yards rushing or receiving in a game, running for 127 yards on 21 carries as the Packers built a 23-10 lead at halftime behind three long touchdown drives.
But Bryce Young, who threw for a career-high 312 yards, rallied the Panthers (2-13) from a 14-point deficit with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to DJ Chark to tie the game at 30-30 with 4:05 remaining.
Love came through for the Packers on the final drive.
He completed a 36-yard strike on third-and-4 to Doubs, who hauled in a catch against man-to-man coverage near the sideline at the Carolina 33 that Fox Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino said on television should have been overturned.
“If I make the play, the game is over,” Doubs said. “And I made the play, so the game was over.”
Love, who finished 17 of 28 for 219 yards, followed with a 20-yard completion to rookie tight end Tucker Kraft to reach the Carolina 13, setting up Carlson's winning kick.
“We ran a stop route with (Doubs), and he made a fantastic catch right there on the sideline, which was a huge play in that drive,” Love said. "And then coming back later, the one to Tucker, I was able to fit it in between two guys and he was able to bounce off them and pick up some more yards, so it was a huge catch by him and a great way to finish that drive. Two huge plays by those guys.”
Two great throws, too.
Carolina had one last chance. Young completed a 22-yard pass to Chark on the sideline to stop the clock and then threw over the middle to Adam Thielen for another 22 yards to the Green Bay 31. But the Panthers, without any timeouts, were unable to spike the ball before time expired.
Panthers interim coach Chris Tabor said he “absolutely” felt the team got the ball spiked before the clock ran out, but he wasn't given an explanation after the game by the officials.
“I'm disappointed for those guys in that room,” Tabor said. “They laid everything on the line there. And we played hard. We just ran out of time. But we are getting better and there is no doubt about that.”
Said Packers coach Matt LaFleur: “It feels good to win. Certainly made it a little closer than we would’ve liked but give Carolina a ton of credit. They fought for for four quarters. The bottom line is that we found a way to make a couple of plays down the stretch to propel us to a win."
Young had never eclipsed 250 yards passing in a game prior to Sunday.
He said the loss “stings,” but he was encouraged by what he saw from Carolina's offense.
“I think it is as good as we have looked as a unit,” Young said. “This was a good building block for us as a unit. We all stepped up and there is obviously still stuff to clean up and get better at. It wasn't enough and we have to be better. But it is good place for us to build on.”
INJURIES
Packers: Wicks left the game with a chest injury.
Panthers: OLB Amare Barno was carted off the field with a knee injury early in the first quarter after getting injured while covering a punt. ... RB Miles Sanders injured his toe and CB Troy Hill wound up in the concussion protocol late in the fourth quarter, leaving the secondary depleted.
UP NEXT
Packers: At Minnesota next Sunday.
Panthers: At Jacksonville next Sunday.
How can I watch Packers vs. Panthers?
- TV Channel: Packers at Panthers 2021-22 NFL, week 16 is broadcasted nationally on FOX.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
In Canada, viewers can watch Packers vs. Panthers on DAZN.
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 7:30 | AJ Dillon 1 Yd Run (Anders Carlson Kick) | |
FG | 1st Period 5:24 | Eddy Pineiro 52 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 2nd Period 14:57 | Jordan Love 1 Yd Run (Anders Carlson PAT failed) | |
TD | 2nd Period 10:29 | Ihmir Smith-Marsette 20 Yd Run (Eddy Pineiro Kick) | |
FG | 2nd Period 7:51 | Anders Carlson 53 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 2nd Period 0:49 | Dontayvion Wicks 21 Yd pass from Jordan Love (Anders Carlson Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 5:11 | Chuba Hubbard 4 Yd Run (Eddy Pineiro PAT failed) | |
TD | 4th Period 14:57 | Romeo Doubs 5 Yd pass from Jordan Love (Anders Carlson Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 7:14 | DJ Chark Jr. 11 Yd pass from Bryce Young (Eddy Pineiro PAT failed) | |
TD | 4th Period 4:05 | DJ Chark Jr. 10 Yd pass from Bryce Young (Raheem Blackshear Run for Two-Point Conversion) | |
FG | 4th Period 0:19 | Anders Carlson 32 Yd Field Goal |
Statistics
GB | CAR | |
---|---|---|
25 | 1st Downs | 26 |
12 | Passing 1st downs | 14 |
10 | Rushing 1st downs | 8 |
3 | 1st downs from penalties | 4 |
8-14 | 3rd down efficiency | 6-13 |
0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 1-2 |
63 | Total Plays | 63 |
369 | Total Yards | 394 |
5.9 | Yards per Play | 6.3 |
10 | Total Drives | 10 |
207 | Passing | 298 |
17-28 | Comp-Att | 23-36 |
7.1 | Yards per pass | 7.8 |
0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
1-12 | Sacks-Yards Lost | 2-14 |
162 | Rushing | 96 |
34 | Rushing Attempts | 25 |
4.8 | Yards per rush | 3.8 |
3-4 | Red Zone (Made-Att) | 3-3 |
6-67 | Penalties | 8-87 |
0 | Turnovers | 0 |
0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
0 | Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 |
28:39 | Possession | 31:21 |
Game Information
Location: Charlotte, NC
Attendance: 70,875 · Capacity:
2023 NFC South Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | T | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay | 9 | 8 | .529 | 0 | 348 | 325 |
New Orleans | 9 | 8 | .529 | 0 | 402 | 327 |
Atlanta | 7 | 10 | .412 | 0 | 321 | 373 |
Carolina | 2 | 15 | .118 | 0 | 236 | 416 |
NFL News
Titans expect WR Treylon Burks to 'carve out a role' in 2024
Receiver Treylon Burks has a clean slate with the new coaching staff, led by Brian Callahan, and so far, has gotten off to a good start.
Nikki Glaser praises athletes' performances at the Tom Brady roast
Nikki Glaser explains to Pat McAfee how impressed she was with the athletes who participated in "The Roast of Tom Brady."
Texans trade for former Rams receiver Ben Skowronek
The Houston Texans have traded for former Rams WR Ben Skowronek, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson, longtime 49ers DB, dies at 86
Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Jimmy Johnson, a three-time All-Pro and member of the All-Decade Team of the 1970s, has died. He was 86.
Sources: Reworked NFL officiating department adds 2 to staff
Umpire Ramon George and replay official Mark Butterworth are both joining the NFL's league office, sources told ESPN, although it is unclear who will have final authority in the officiating department during the 2024 season.