THE GAME. THE STORIES. THE WHY.
Independent football coverage●Our standards
whynfl
EXPLOREPower rankingsLeague leadersTeam statsInjuriesTransactionsShortsRivalriesRecordsBye weeksEVENTSSuper BowlPro BowlCombineDraftPlayoffsWeb StoriesALL FOOTBALL. ALL IN.
WEEK 8
  1. Thu 8:15 pmCARGB
  2. Sun 1:00 pmTENCIN
  3. Sun 1:00 pmARIDAL
  4. Sun 1:00 pmATLTB
  5. Sun 1:00 pmLVNYJ
  6. Sun 1:00 pmCLEPIT
  7. Sun 1:00 pmMINDET
  8. Sun 1:00 pmBALBUF
  9. Sun 1:00 pmINDJAX
  10. Sun 4:05 pmLACLAR
  11. Sun 4:25 pmNEMIA
  12. Sun 4:25 pmKCDEN
  13. Sun 8:20 pmPHIWAS
  14. Mon 8:15 pmCHISEA
Find your next read

Search whynfl

Go deeper on the game you love.
News

Interactive: Panthers at Packers — a 3-3 division leader, a 4-3 last-place team and last year’s walk-off at Lambeau, step by step

5 min read Comments
Share ↗
WhatsApp Facebook X
Saved articles

Your reading list is saved on this browser.

Your reaction

Scroll through Carolina at Green Bay before Week 8's Thursday night game: the Panthers' swings from 34-3 to 43-13, Bryce Young and Jordan Love week by week, the Packers' lost day in Detroit, a 59.9-yard run game and Ryan Fitzgerald's 49-yard winner at Lambeau last November.

w.
WhyNFL Sports DeskPublished
The brick facade of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the stadium name and two Packers G logos.
Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in November 2019. Photo by Chad Davis, CC-BY-2.0, resized.
Lambeau Field in Green BayLambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in November 2019. Photo by Chad Davis, CC-BY-2.0, resized.
WhyNFL Interactive

Panthers at Packers: a division leader at 3-3, a last-place team at 4-3 and a Thursday night at Lambeau

Carolina leads the NFC South after six games and just lost 43-13 at home. Green Bay is fourth in an NFC North where every team has a winning record, and lost on a field goal at the gun in Detroit. Scroll through both seasons, the quarterbacks and last year's Lambeau finish before Week 8's Thursday night game.
Chapter 1

Two standings, two stories

Kickoff is Thursday, Oct. 29, at 8:15 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field, which is 3:15 a.m. Friday in Cairo.

Carolina is 3-3 and in first place in the NFC South, ahead of Atlanta at 3-4 and Tampa Bay and New Orleans at 2-5. Green Bay is a game better at 4-3 and sits last in the NFC North, behind 6-0 Minnesota, 5-2 Chicago and 4-2 Detroit.

NFC South wins after Week 7

Panthers 3-33
Falcons 3-43
Buccaneers 2-52
Saints 2-52

NFC North wins after Week 7

Vikings 6-06
Bears 5-25
Lions 4-24
Packers 4-34
0points scored by Carolina (26.5 a game)
0points allowed by Carolina
0points scored by Green Bay (20.6 a game)
0points allowed by Green Bay
Bank of America Stadium in CharlotteBank of America Stadium in Charlotte in 2025 (file photo). Photo by Quintin Soloviev, CC-BY-4.0, resized.
Chapter 2

Carolina's swings

The Panthers gave up 59 points to Chicago in the opener, then won three of their next four, including 34-3 at Atlanta, 32-26 over Detroit and 25-14 in Philadelphia after the Week 5 bye.

Sunday went the other way. Tampa Bay won 43-13 in Charlotte, scoring 20 points off four Carolina turnovers and two more on a blocked extra point returned 70 yards.

Panthers' points scored, game by game

Wk 1 vs CHI, L 59-3737
Wk 2 at ATL, W 34-334
Wk 3 at CLE, L 21-1818
Wk 4 vs DET, W 32-2632
Wk 6 at PHI, W 25-1425
Wk 7 vs TB, L 43-1313
“Turnovers really in every phase. A sack-fumble on a protection issue, a dropped punt led to points, the blocked kick. It really combined to put us in a really big hole.”
— Panthers coach Dave Canales after the Tampa Bay loss
Bryce Young with the PanthersBryce Young with the Panthers, November 2023 (archive image). Photo by Tennessee Titans, CC-BY-3.0, resized.
Chapter 3

Bryce Young, week by week

0passing yards
0touchdown passes
0interceptions
0/228completions (59.2%)

Young's passing yards by game

vs Chicago361
at Atlanta287
at Cleveland291
vs Detroit329
at Philadelphia281
vs Tampa Bay163

Five of his six games went for 280 yards or more. Sunday was the exception: 14 of 27 for 163 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, five sacks and a lost fumble before Kenny Pickett finished the game.

“I can't turn the ball like that. It hurts the team and that's on me.”
— Bryce Young

His top targets: Tetairoa McMillan has 36 catches for 511 yards, including 14 for 192 against Detroit, and Jalen Coker has 25 for 328. Chuba Hubbard has 459 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Carolina will play without right tackle Taylor Moton, who broke his fibula on Sunday and went on injured reserve.

Matt LaFleur on the sidelineMatt LaFleur on the sideline at Lambeau Field on October 24, 2021 (file photo). Photo by All-Pro Reels, CC-BY-SA-2.0, resized.
Chapter 4

Green Bay's lost afternoon in Detroit

The Packers had won three straight, 17-14 at Tampa Bay, 31-7 over Chicago and 23-13 over Dallas, before Sunday’s 20-17 loss at Ford Field.

Rookie kicker Trey Smack missed a 26-yarder and had a 35-yarder blocked with 3:25 left, Green Bay scored one touchdown on four red-zone trips, and Jake Bates won it with a 22-yard field goal as time expired.

“We had some premier field position and we just didn't take advantage. We missed two field goals, but we know Trey is capable of making those.”
— Packers coach Matt LaFleur
0roughing-the-passer flags against Green Bay in seven games
0drawn by the Packers' offense for Jordan Love
0/4fourth downs converted in Detroit
0/4red-zone touchdowns in Detroit
Josh Jacobs speaks to reportersJosh Jacobs speaks to reporters on October 21, 2026. Image: Green Bay Packers video still.
Chapter 5

Jordan Love and a run game that isn't there

0passing yards, second in the NFL after Week 7
0touchdown passes
0interceptions
0receiving yards for Christian Watson (6 TD)

Love's passing yards by game

at Minnesota387
at NY Jets145
vs Atlanta312
at Tampa Bay197
vs Chicago367
vs Dallas276
at Detroit274

Rushing yards per game after Week 7

Panthers105.3
Packers59.9

Green Bay has 419 rushing yards in seven games, and its leading rusher, MarShawn Lloyd, has 142. Josh Jacobs played his first game of the season in Detroit after coming off the commissioner’s exempt list, with 36 yards on 11 carries and a 25-yard touchdown catch.

Lambeau Field seen from TitletownLambeau Field seen from Titletown in April 2024. Photo by Gonzo fan2007, CC-BY-SA-4.0, resized.
Chapter 6

Last year at Lambeau

  1. Packers 33, Panthers 30.
  2. Brandon McManus kicks a 49-yard field goal; Rico Dowdle answers with a 5-yard touchdown run; McManus adds a 27-yarder at the half. Panthers 7-6.
  3. Dowdle scores again from the 1, and the extra point fails. Panthers 13-6.
  4. Josh Jacobs ties it with a 1-yard run. 13-13.
  5. Ryan Fitzgerald kicks a 49-yard field goal on the last play. Panthers 16, Packers 13, in front of 77,864.

Last year's game: the leading lines

Love passing (26/37)273 yds
Dowdle rushing (25 car, 2 TD)130 yds
Young passing (11/20)102 yds
Jacobs rushing (17 car, TD)87 yds

Carolina arrives on a short week, without Moton and after its worst loss of the season, still holding first place in its division. Green Bay comes home after a loss it believes it gave away, still last in its own.

Carolina won the last meeting at Lambeau on the final play. After Thursday, the Packers play three of their next four games on the road, starting at New England in Week 9.

The why matters.

See something that needs a second look? Read our corrections policy.

Join the conversation

Use a name or stay anonymous. No account or email required. Comments are reviewed before appearing.

Up to 3,000 characters

No published comments yet. Start the conversation.