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In the Week 8 edition of "Thursday Night Football," the Green Bay Packers play host to the Carolina Panthers.
The Packers enter this game off a disappointing loss to the division rival Detroit Lions, in a game they had multiple chances to win. Green Bay had won three in a row to salvage its season after a blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons the last time the Packers played on Thursday night (Week 3), but they hit a bump in the road last week. Now, they're looking to make it four wins in five games.
The Panthers are coming off an embarrassing blowout loss at the hands of the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carolina was blasted 43-13 last week and was never truly competitive, falling down 17-0 early. However, the Panthers still sit at .500 after climbing that hump with their win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6. Now, they try to get back to their winning ways.
Which of these two teams will get back in the win column? We'll find out soon enough. Before we break down the matchup, here's a look at how you can watch the game.
The Panthers limped to their worst offensive performance of the season last week, managing just 266 yards, 15 first downs and 13 points while turning the ball over four times. They had previously gained at least 340 yards in every game, gained at least 24 first downs in four of five, and scored 25-plus points in four of five.
Bryce Young returned to poor form on Sunday, going only 14-of-27 for 163 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while also fumbling once. He's now completed south of 52% of his passes in back-to-back games and south of 55% in three of his last four, with the only exception being a game against the decrepit Lions pass defense. Young got off to a hot start to the season, but he's cooled off a bit as of late.
The Packers have been a tough matchup for opposing quarterbacks this year. They're eighth in net passing yards per attempt, and they've yet to allow more than 296 net passing yards in any game this season. They've also allowed just nine touchdown passes against nine interceptions. Jonathan Gannon has been good at limiting what opponents can do through the air, for the most part. It is, however, worth noting that the Packers faced Carson Wentz, Geno Smith, Michael Penix Jr., Jalon Daniels and Tyson Bagent before getting Dak Prescott and Jared Goff over the last two weeks. So they haven't exactly done this against a murderer's row of opponents.
Green Bay has gotten pressure at a below-average rate — no surprise with Micah Parsons still sidelined. Instead, the Packers have gotten by against the pass with sticky coverage and timely plays on the ball. Keisean Nixon and Brandon Cisse have been solid on the outside. Javon Bullard has played well in the slot, and the safeties are providing quality help over the top and in the middle of the field.
Carolina's passing game is mostly built outside the numbers with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, though Young has thrown over the middle more this season than in past years. It'll be up to the skyscrapers on the perimeter to win their one-on-one matchups here in order to give Young room to throw, though he should have more time than he did last week thanks to Green Bay's relatively weaker pass rush.
In the run game, the Panthers lean on Chuba Hubbard, who is averaging 4.8 yards per carry in a workhorse role in the absence of Jonathon Brooks. Hubbard only got seven carries in the negative game script last week, but you can likely expect the Panthers to try to "Establish The Run" here as a way to get their offense back on track. Green Bay has allowed only 3.9 yards per carry this season, though, so it might be tough, especially with right tackle Taylor Moton now on the sidelines.
The Packers welcomed Josh Jacobs back to the lineup last week but still found themselves entirely unable to run the ball against the Lions. They totaled just 60 yards on the ground, with Jacobs himself carrying 11 times for only 36 yards. Green Bay is now averaging a pathetic 2.9 yards per carry on the season, which unsurprisingly ranks dead last in the league.
The Panthers, meanwhile, were run over by the Bucs last week. Bucky Irving and Co. blew past Carolina for a remarkable 258 yards on the ground, which was made all the more incredible by the fact that the Panthers had yielded just 81 rushing yards in their previous two games combined. Still, Carolina has allowed 5.2 yards per carry on the season now, which, to no surprise, ranks dead last. Almost 60% of the rushing yards the Panthers have allowed, though, came in their games against the Bucs and the Chicago Bears in Week 1. They've been fine-ish against the run otherwise.
So, can the Packers run the ball with any degree of success here? If the recent history of this season is any indication, then the answer is probably not. Jacobs has been at or below 4.0 yards per carry in two of his last three full seasons, and spending six weeks on the commissioner's exempt list in the wake of a disturbing domestic violence incident probably didn't make him a more efficient runner. And the offensive line is still not a good run-blocking unit.
So, the fate of the Packers' offense likely once again falls on the right shoulder of Jordan Love.
Love has only completed 59.8% of his passes at an average of 7.4 yards per attempt this season, but he's been victimized by a league-high 21 drops, according to Tru Media. Love is attacking deep downfield consistently, with a 9.1-yard average depth of throw that ranks fourth-highest in the NFL. As such, he's created explosive plays (16-plus-yard gains) at the third-highest rate in the league among 33 qualified quarterbacks.
He should see favorable matchups when he looks downfield on Thursday night. Panthers starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson remain out on injured reserve, which has left rookie Will Lee III and Akayleb Evans as the starting corners. But Evans is also out on Thursday night, meaning, well, I honestly don't even know who is going to step up in his absence. The Panthers elevated Marco Wilson from the practice squad, and they may need to shift Chau Smith-Wade outside. Either way, it's not a great situation for Carolina.
Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, who is trending to play, should be able to find space down the field against these corners, and then it's just a matter of actually hanging onto the ball when Love puts it on them. Green Bay could have a big night through the air if the Packers can protect Love, which will be made easier by the absence of Panthers edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who is also out for this game.
It was surprising to see the Panthers get smacked in the face by the Buccaneers last week. The Packers probably can't do the same thing the Bucs did — run the ball down Carolina's throat — but they can still beat that defense with explosive plays. With the top two cornerbacks still out, Watson and Golden (if he plays) are going to be able to find space in the defense. Green Bay's own defense has also played better as of late after a rough start to the season.
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