Jordan Love Tops Packers’ ‘Nice’ List in Victory Over Panthers
A happy holiday season to everyone.
The Green Bay Packers' gift to their fans was a heart-stopping 33-30 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Jordan Love was the star of the day throwing for two touchdowns and running for another to help build a 30-16 lead.
The lead would not hold up, however, as Bryce Young found DJ Chark in the end zone twice to knot the score at 30 late in the fourth quarter.
It was two completions by Love of 36 and 20 yards to Romeo Doubs and Tucker Kraft, respectively, to set up a chip-shot field goal that Anders Carlson nailed.
Young mounted a drive to get the Panthers in field goal range, but ran out of time.
Love leads off our "nice" list for the Packers in their victory to get them to 7-8.
Nice
Jordan Love
Jordan Love continues to string together big-time performances for a team that needs its offense to do everything it can to help carry a porous defense.
Love came out firing to lead the team down the field to an early 7-0 lead on a drive that was capped by AJ Dillon's 1-yard plunge into the end zone.
Love finished the day 17-28 for 218 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He added a touchdown run to give him 30 total touchdowns for the season
It wasn't the gaudiest of numbers, but Love did that despite missing his top three receivers.
Finally, when the game was on the line, Love made two big plays down the field to get the Packers into field-goal range.
Had Love's 36-yard completion to Romeo Doubs been ruled incomplete, at the rate Green Bay's defense was giving up yards, the team likely would have suffered its worst loss of the season.
Instead, there is no coal in the stocking of Green Bay's quarterback. He gets credit for a game-winning drive and surpassed Aaron Rodgers' win total from his first season as the starting quarterback in 2008.
Aaron Jones
Aaron jones is the lynchpin of the Packers' offense and one of the leaders of the team.
That has not necessarily shined through in terms of production. Jones even admitted earlier in the year he was not be having the season he wanted
On Sunday against a porous Panthers run defense, Jones showed the speed and ability that makes him special.
Moreover, Jones broke the 100-yard mark as an individual, becoming the Packers' first 100-yard rusher this season.
He rumbled for 127 yards on 21 carries, averaging 6 yards per attempt. The Packers will need more of that from Jones as they enter this final two-game stretch.
Romeo Doubs
Romeo Doubs made the play of the game with a controversial 36-yard completion that drew a challenge flag from the Panthers.
Who the heck knows what a catch is these days, but they ruled Doubs' play down the sideline a catch.
Doubs was the last man standing of the Packers' preferred starters, with Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks all on the shelf due to various injuries.
Doubs added a touchdown earlier in the game to extend his team lead to eight.
Tucker Kraft
Tucker Kraft is making the most of his opportunities.
He had another big catch and run in which he tried to hurdle over a defender. Perhaps coach Matt LaFleur will tell him to stop doing that.
The reality at this point, however, is Kraft is emerging as one of the team's most reliable pass catchers.
He finished with four catches for 60 yards, none bigger than a 20-yard reception as the team was trying to drive for a game-winning score. Kraft made the catch in traffic and ran for additional yards to get Green Bay into position for a more makeable field goal.
“I can’t say enough great things about Tucker Kraft,” LaFleur said. “First of all, how tough he was or is and just making critical plays, man. He’s brought so much to our offense and it’s been so fun to see him progress and get better and work.”
Bo Melton
Bo Melton was praised by receivers coach Jason Vrable earlier in the week for his progress in practice throughout the week.
Melton could not have been expecting a prominent role once Dontayvion Wicks was ruled active for the day.
Melton's numbers won't wow anybody, but he had a solid day.
Four catches for 44 yards were big on a day the Packers were looking for anyone to step up and make some plays in the passing game.
Melton was the next man up, and he delivered.
Preston Smith
Preston Smith is really the only defensive player who could have earned any positive marks for his day.
The Panthers were one of the worst pass-blocking teams in football coming into the day, but Smith was the only one that appeared to get the memo.
Smith had 1.5 sacks on the day, giving him 5.5 for the season. The Packers are searching for anything to hang their hat on defensively.
Smith was solid , but they'll need more with two divisional games to finish out the year.
Anders Carlson
Carlson might have made the naughty list if not for what he did to finish the day.
Carlson missed another extra point after the Packers scored a touchdown to go up 13-3.
Ultimately, in this case, what matters will be how Carlson finished.
Carlson's 32-yard field goal was drilled right through the middle of the uprights with 19 seconds to play.
It was Carlson's first game-winner of his career, and perhaps more importantly, his first appearance on this list.
Naughty
Joe Barry
Joe Barry was given a stay of execution by coach Matt LaFleur after the team was embarrassed by Baker Mayfield last week at Lambeau Field.
The opportunity was there for a feel-good moment for the team's embattled defensive coordinator.
The Panthers' offense has struggled against everyone all season.
Bryce Young had not thrown a touchdown pass since Nov. 19.
None of that seemed to matter. The Panthers piled up 394 yards of offense. Young threw two touchdown passes. They scored 30 points for the first time this season.
None of the numbers look good for Barry.
After getting to keep his job, this felt like a three-game tryout for Barry to save his job.
His first step at a second chance failed dramatically. He gets coal in his stocking.
Eric Stokes
Eric Stokes has had a long road to recovery. His leg injury last season was significant enough to keep him on the PUP list to start the year.
Once he was activated the first time, he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for another extended period of time.
Stokes has been back for two games and struggled in both of them as he shakes off more than a year of rust.
The Packers clearly want to continue to get a look at the former first-round pick, but it's hard to see a scenario in which Stokes is a better option than Carrington Valentine, who has played well in reserve duty this year.
Stokes was beaten for both of Bryce Young's touchdown passes to DJ Chark.
That comes after being responsible for Mike Evans' touchdown last week.
Stokes' career is not over by any stretch, but there is some cause for concern through two games.
Devonte Wyatt
Devonte Wyatt is as talented as it comes along the defensive line, but he has been prone to simple mistakes.
The TV broadcast caught Matt LaFleur getting on Wyatt after Wyatt was ruled offsides on a field goal attempt.
The Panthers declined the penalty, but that's really beside the point.
Wyatt is right over the ball. In theory, it should be impossible to be offsides when a player is right over the ball.
Wyatt could have made up for that mistake by making a big play or two against an offensive line known for giving them up.
Instead, Wyatt had a quiet day with three penalties and three assisted tackles.
Lukas Van Ness
Lukas Van Ness is really just the victim of a larger problem. The Packers' defense forced a three-and out to start the game. Instead of giving the ball to their offense, Van Ness was penalized for roughing the punter, forcing the Packers to go back on the field.
The defense bowed its neck again, but it's a situation they should not have had to be in.
As poor as the defense has played, the Packers cannot afford to give any opposing offense a second chance.
Van Ness' penalty was the special teams' 19th of the season, that is the most in the league.
Van Ness wears the collar for a brutal mistake.
