Packers Sizzle, Then Fizzle, But Beat Panthers

The Green Bay Packers improved to 11-3 by holding off the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers were taking the Carolina Panthers apart in predictable fashion. Their quick 21-3 lead was as easy as one, two, three.

On the first drive, Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass. On the second drive, Rodgers scored on a touchdown run. On the third, Aaron Jones waltzed into the end zone.

That was enough for a victory – a 24-16 verdict that improved their record to 11-3 – but it wasn’t a good enough performance in the eyes of Rodgers and coach Matt LaFleur.

“I don’t think anybody on offense is particularly happy, especially with the second half,” LaFleur said. “But, you know, we’re happy we won. We’re 11-3, and you’d rather come out of this with a win and have stuff to clean up than on the other side of this thing. You’d feel really, really crappy then.”

While Rodgers had played at an MVP level for most of the season, it was Aaron Jones and Krys Barnes who were the stars for the Packers. They survived a prolonged offensive funk to win their fourth consecutive game since a loss at Indianapolis on Nov. 22. What looked like a blowout wasn’t secure until Kingsley Keke and Preston Smith forced intentional grounding and Teddy Bridgewater threw incomplete on fourth-and-4.

With an 11-3 record, Green Bay will be keen observers on Sunday as New Orleans (10-3) hosts Kansas City (12-1). The Packers and Saints lead the charge in the NFC and Drew Brees will be back at quarterback for New Orleans.

While Jones carried 20 times for 145 yards, Rodgers was 21-of-29 passing for 143 yards. He threw for one touchdown pass and ran for another, but the mediocre numbers won't help his MVP candidacy. Never mind MVP; the passing game will need to be much better next Sunday night against the Tennessee Titans.

“We just haven’t put together a four-quarter game,” Rodgers said. “We’ve had some really good stretches in that stretch, but just not four quarters of football way too many times. Tonight, we had a couple of good quarters and a couple stinkers. That’s just not consistent, winning football. So, we’ve got to figure out offensively what happened there in the second half and get ready for a good football team coming in.”

With Green Bay nursing a 21-13 lead, Mason Crosby did what he did last week at Detroit: Kick a long, clutch field goal. His 51-yarder, set up by Rodgers’ third-down completion of 22 yards to Allen Lazard, made it a two-score game with 3:39 to play. The Packers had punted on five consecutive series after a red-hot start. Even this scoring drive was a bit of a disappointment, though, as Rodgers was sacked for fourth time of the night to thwart what could have been a game-clinching touchdown drive. Still, the points were just what the doctor ordered.

Carolina answered with a field goal to make it 24-16 with 2:04 remaining. A 40-yard catch and run by D.J. Moore, who bounced off linebacker Christian Kirksey and defensive back Chandon Sullivan, gave Carolina a first down at the 15. Instead of going for a touchdown, coach Matt Rhule instantly sent on the field-goal unit to make it a one-score game with the 2-minute timeout in hand.

Green Bay couldn’t run out the clock – Rodgers was sacked for the fifth time of the night on third-and-4 – and JK Scott’s punt was almost blocked by Adarius Taylor. Carolina needed to go 80 yards in 55 seconds but went backward on the intentional grounding.

A huge moment came in the second quarter. With Green Bay leading 14-3, the Panthers had the Packers on their heels. On fourth-and-1, Carolina hurried to the line and Rodney Smith blew through a big hole for a 12-yard gain to the 1. The Panthers hurried to the line again and Bridgewater tried to dive over the pile. Instead, as he extended toward the goal line, Barnes knocked the ball loose. Kevin King scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 48 yards to Carolina’s 47.

“That was the play of the game, no doubt about it,” LaFleur said. “They caught us in a defense where they thought they were going to take advantage of and pound the football. I think our guys kind of knew what was coming there with the quarterback sneak. That’s just great awareness. He did a great job punching that sucker out, and that definitely was the play of the game, the turning point of the game. You’re talking about a 14-point swing.”

Given a short field, the Packers pounced to make it 21-3. Jones got the ball on the final five plays, punctuated by his high-stepping 8-yard touchdown run. At that point, the game looked like a laugher.

The Packers scored to open the game. Jones had a 46-yard run on third-and-1 to set up Rodgers’ historic 40th touchdown pass of the season. On first down from the 1, he found tight end Robert Tonyan all alone in the flat. There have been 14 seasons of 40-plus TD passes in NFL history. Rodgers has three of them. For Tonyan, it extended his touchdown streak to five games.

Green Bay scored again on its next possession to make it 14-3. Its third-down offense remained red hot. After going 8-of-11 last week, it started 4-of-4. Rodgers moved the chains on third-and-7 and third-and-1 with passes to Davante Adams. Finally, on third-and-goal from the 6, Rodgers scrambled for the touchdown.

The Packers’ offense, which entered the game ranked No. 1 in the NFL in scoring with 31.5 points per game, went into a coma after scoring touchdowns on its first three drives to lead 21-3.

Carolina took advantage, with Bridgewater’s 13-yard scramble cutting the margin to 21-10 with 5:15 left in the third quarter. After Green Bay’s fifth consecutive possession ended in a punt, the Panthers drove to another field goal to make it 21-13 with 8:39 remaining.