A win that nearly slipped away
Green Bay moved to 5-3 with a 27-19 victory over Carolina on Thursday night, though the final margin understated how tense the closing stretch became. The Packers built a 27-10 cushion midway through the third quarter, then watched the Panthers claw back. Carolina outgained Green Bay 109 yards to 32 in the fourth quarter, and the home side had to hold its breath until the final minutes.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S7]
The problems were familiar ones. Trey Smack missed an extra point, and Green Bay gave the ball away three times, including a fumbled opening kickoff by wide receiver Coleman Owen and a first-half lost fumble by Christian Watson. Carolina converted those three takeaways into only a field goal, a waste that ultimately decided the game. Poor special-teams play and squandered leads have been recurring themes for the Packers across the past two seasons.[S1][S7]
Carolina's last real opportunity came with 2:41 remaining, when quarterback Bryce Young threw incomplete on fourth-and-5 near midfield. Young was sacked six times, the final one by rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton with four seconds left, and absorbed nine hits overall. He completed 23 of 41 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception.[S1]
Watson's ambulance trip and late catch
Christian Watson left Lambeau Field in an ambulance with 9:11 left in the first half after a chest injury. He was examined at a local hospital and cleared to return, riding back to the stadium in the passenger seat of the same ambulance. His 7-yard reception on third-and-2 with 2:33 remaining let Green Bay drain the clock, and Carolina got the ball back with just 22 seconds left. Watson finished with eight catches for 113 yards.[S1]
Jordan Love completed 30 of 41 attempts for 288 yards, throwing three touchdowns and one interception. His scoring throws went 12 yards to Tucker Kraft, 24 yards to Matthew Golden and 4 yards to Josh Jacobs, who also ran in a 1-yard score. Jacobs carried 21 times for 39 yards and added six receptions for 13 yards, while Golden caught seven passes for 79 yards.[S1]
On the Carolina side, Chuba Hubbard ran 22 times for 81 yards and a touchdown and caught seven passes for 38 yards. Tetairoa McMillan made six catches for 58 yards, and Ryan Fitzgerald connected on field goals of 39 and 50 yards. Green Bay outgained the Panthers 354 yards to 258 overall.[S1]
