Packers-Panthers Will Be Primetime Saturday Clash
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will host the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night, Dec. 19, the NFL announced on Tuesday.
That game had been scheduled to be played Dec. 19 or Dec. 20.
In a Saturday doubleheader for Week 15, the Buffalo Bills will play at the Denver Broncos at 3:30 p.m. and the Packers will host the Panthers at 7:15 p.m. Both games will air on NFL Network; Packers-Panthers will air on WLUK-TV in Green Bay and WITI-TV in Milwaukee, as well.
Depending on trials with about 500 fans against Chicago on Sunday night and Philadelphia next week, the Packers might allow an undetermined number of ticketed fans into the game against Carolina.
The game will mark the fifth of six primetime games of the season for Green Bay. The Packers won at New Orleans on a Sunday night in Week 3, at home against Atlanta on a Monday night in Week 4 and on a Thursday night in Week 9 against San Francisco.
Sunday night’s home game against the rival Bears will be the fourth, the Week 15 game against Carolina will be the fifth and the following week’s game on Sunday night against Tennessee will be the sixth, pending NFL flexible scheduling.
The Panthers are 4-7. Star running back Christian McCaffrey has missed eight of 11 games due to injuries. Defensive end Brian Burns has six sacks, cornerback Donte Jackson has three interceptions, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has completed 72.1 percent of his passes and receivers D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson are well on their way past 1,000-yard seasons.
Green Bay leads the series 10-6. A goal-line stop of McCaffrey preserved a 24-16 win at Lambeau Field last year.