Four Days Until Kickoff: Four Packers-Panthers Keys to Game

The Green Bay Packers (10-3) will host the Carolina (4-9) in a Saturday night clash at Lambeau Field. Here are the keys to ensuring the Packers remain on track for the No. 1 seed.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The highlight of Christian McCaffrey’s year came in April. That’s when he signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension with the Carolina Panthers that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.

It’s all been downhill from there for player and team.

In Week 2 against Tampa Bay, he sustained a high-ankle sprain and spent six games on injured reserve. In his first game back, he caught 10 passes, scored two touchdowns and suffered a shoulder injury that sent him back to the sideline. On track to return from that injury last week against Denver, he instead tweaked a quad injury and was out again. Panthers coach Matt Rhule on Tuesday said he didn’t expect McCaffrey to play on Saturday night against the Green Bay Packers.

The Panthers are 4-9 this season. McCaffrey has played in only three of those games. A year after leading the NFL with 2,392 yards from scrimmage – the third-most in NFL history – and matching Aaron Jones with a league-high 19 total touchdowns, McCaffrey has 374 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in his three games.

“I don't think I ever had an issue with loving football. I've always loved it; it's what makes me happy,” he said last week before his presumptive return against Denver was derailed. “But they always say you don't know what you have until it's gone. And when something is taken from you that you love to do so much, it can be challenging and frustrating mentally, emotionally, and physically.

“So, for me, to go through that, in a way just continues to spark a fire in you and understand how much I do love this game. And how taking pride in doing everything possible to stay in the game and play. It definitely makes you appreciate it more.”

Green Bay’s inconsistent run defense has played better the last three weeks aside from the long run by David Montgomery to start the game against Chicago. Even if McCaffrey doesn’t play, that trend will have to continue against Mike Davis, who has 555 rushing yards (4.1 average) and is third with 57 receptions (6.5 yards per catch). No team in the NFL has allowed more receiving yards to running backs than the Packers.

Here are the rest of this week’s keys to the game.

2. Get a Grip

Carolina’s defense is not very good. It is No. 20 in the league with 25.5 points allowed per game. Its pass rush, aside from Brian Burns, is feeble, and it’s terrible on third down. It hasn’t intercepted a pass since Week 8.

Where the Panthers do pose a challenge is their penchant for stripping the football. They lead the NFL with 13 fumble recoveries. That’s as many as Green Bay the past two seasons combined. Burns has forced three fumbles and the speedy linebacker tandem of Jeremy Chinn and Shaq Thompson has two apiece. The do-it-all Chinn, who will line up at every position other than defensive tackle, returned two fumbles for touchdowns vs. Minnesota a few weeks ago.

The Packers have done an excellent job security the ball, with the sixth-fewest fumbles in the league. But on a night that’s supposed to be chilly and perhaps a bit snowy, ball security will be at a premium.

3. Strength vs. Strength

With left tackle Russell Okung and right tackle Taylor Moton, the Panthers have a sturdy pair of bookend tackles. Can Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Rashan Gary (if healthy) create enough pressure to make life miserable for Teddy Bridgewater?

If Bridgewater has time, receivers Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore are capable of going to the house on any catch. Moore had nine receptions for 120 yards in last year’s game at snowy Lambeau Field, and Marvin Jones almost had a monster game against Packers cornerback Kevin King last week.

4. Keep Rolling

The Panthers could be defenseless against the Aaron Rodgers-led passing attack. Rodgers is No. 1 in the NFL in passer rating, touchdown passes and touchdown percentage. He has a passer rating of 105-plus in eight consecutive games. There have been only five longer streaks in NFL history, led by Rodgers’ 12-game run in 2011.

Defensively, Carolina is 28th in completion percentage and 26th in passer rating. Last week, coming off a Week 13 bye, Denver’s Drew Lock posted a 149.5 passer rating on the strength of four touchdowns. In Week 12, Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins had a 115.7 passer rating with three touchdowns despite the absence of Adam Thielen. In Week 10, Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady had a 124.0 passer rating and three touchdowns, with receivers Antonio Brown, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans combining for 19 catches for 238 yards. In Week 9, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes threw for 372 yards and four touchdowns with a 121.7 rating.

The exception came in Week 10, a 20-0 Carolina victory over Detroit, when Lions quarterback Stafford was just 18-of-33 passing for 178 yards.

The difference? Carolina had five sacks in that game. It hasn’t had more than two in any other game.