On November 30, 2008, the Carolina Panthers beat the Green Bay Packers 35-31 at Lambeau Field, and DeAngelo Williams scored all four of Carolina’s rushing touchdowns, every one of them from 1 yard out. The last came with 1:33 left, two plays after Steve Smith caught a 54-yard pass at the Green Bay 1, and it answered a Packers field goal that had put Green Bay ahead with exactly two minutes to play.
Carolina arrived 8-3 and left 9-3. Green Bay, in Aaron Rodgers’ first season as the starter, came in 5-6 and fell to 5-7. It was 37 degrees and cloudy, with a 10 mph wind out of the northeast.
Turnovers set up the first half
The game’s first snap was a 44-yard completion from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad, but Tramon Williams knocked the ball loose and Charles Woodson recovered at the Green Bay 21. The Packers went three-and-out, the teams traded punts, and after a 13-yard Mark Jones punt return gave Carolina the ball at the Green Bay 42, DeAngelo Williams ran 27 yards to the 3 and then scored on his second try from there.
Mason Crosby’s 32-yard field goal made it 7-3 early in the second quarter. Jones then returned the kickoff 42 yards to the Carolina 45, and on the third play Jonathan Stewart broke a 43-yard run that ended with Woodson stripping him at the 3. Guard Travelle Wharton recovered at the 2. On second-and-goal from the 1, Tramon Williams was flagged for pass interference and a face mask on an incomplete pass to Smith, and Delhomme kept the ball himself on the next snap for a 14-3 lead.
Rodgers answered with a 66-yard drive. Brandon Jackson’s 24-yard run reached the Carolina 4, and on third-and-goal Rodgers found Donald Driver for a 6-yard touchdown with 3:18 left in the half. After a Carolina punt, though, the Packers lost the ball on their first snap: the snap from center Scott Wells was fumbled, and Charles Johnson recovered at the Green Bay 17. Williams scored from the 1 with 37 seconds left, and Carolina led 21-10 at halftime.
Green Bay’s comeback
Jackson opened the third quarter with a 32-yard run to the Carolina 26, but three incompletions followed and Crosby kicked a 44-yard field goal for 21-13. Later in the quarter, with Green Bay pinned at its 5 by a Jason Baker punt, Rodgers hit Driver for 46 yards on the first play. Rodgers added a 16-yard scramble, Greg Jennings caught passes of 15, 5 and 7 yards (the last upheld after a Carolina challenge), and Donald Lee scored on a 5-yard pass. Rodgers then threw to Jennings for the two-point conversion, and it was 21-21 with 5:17 left in the third.
The Packers took their first lead early in the fourth quarter. Starting at their 24 after an illegal-block penalty on the punt return, they drove 76 yards, finishing with Rodgers’ 21-yard touchdown pass to Jennings down the middle with 13:47 to play. Green Bay led 28-21.
A wiped-out interception and a long final drive
Jones returned the next kickoff 51 yards to midfield. On first down Delhomme threw deep for Muhammad and Tramon Williams intercepted at the Green Bay 13, returning it 41 yards, but he had been called for pass interference on the same play. The 14-yard penalty put Carolina at the Green Bay 36. Two DeAngelo Williams runs netted minus 1, and on third-and-11 Delhomme found Smith for 36 yards to the 1. Williams scored his third touchdown on the next play, and it was 28-28 with 11:14 left.
Green Bay then took nine minutes and 10 seconds off the clock. Rodgers converted a fourth-and-1 at the Carolina 41 with a 2-yard run, hit Jennings for 17 and Driver for 13, and the Packers had first-and-goal at the 9. A delay-of-game penalty pushed them back, but a Julius Peppers unnecessary-roughness foul on a sack that lost no yards gave them first-and-goal at the 7. Jackson ran 6 yards to the 1. Jackson and fullback John Kuhn were then stopped for no gain on second and third down, and Mike McCarthy sent Crosby out for a 19-yard field goal on fourth-and-goal. It made the score 31-28 with 2:00 left.
Kicking there left Carolina enough time, and the Panthers needed only 27 seconds. Jones returned the kickoff 45 yards to the Carolina 45, with Crosby making the tackle. On the first play Delhomme threw deep down the middle to Smith, who was brought down at the 1 after a 54-yard gain, and a booth review upheld the down-by-contact ruling. Williams went in on the next snap with 1:33 left, and Kasay’s extra point made it 35-31.
Green Bay had 1:30 and two timeouts. Rodgers threw incomplete for Jennings, and on second down Jon Beason intercepted a deep pass for Driver at the Carolina 39. The Packers used their last two timeouts as Carolina ran three times, and Baker’s punt was downed at the Green Bay 6, and two seconds were left for one more snap. Rodgers threw incomplete, and it was over.
| Quarter | Time | Team | Scoring play | Score (CAR-GB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 8:36 | CAR | DeAngelo Williams 1-yard run (John Kasay kick) | 7-0 |
| 2nd | 12:49 | GB | Mason Crosby 32-yard field goal | 7-3 |
| 2nd | 9:48 | CAR | Jake Delhomme 1-yard run (Kasay kick) | 14-3 |
| 2nd | 3:18 | GB | Donald Driver 6-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Crosby kick) | 14-10 |
| 2nd | 0:37 | CAR | Williams 1-yard run (Kasay kick) | 21-10 |
| 3rd | 13:57 | GB | Crosby 44-yard field goal | 21-13 |
| 3rd | 5:22 | GB | Donald Lee 5-yard pass from Rodgers (Rodgers pass to Greg Jennings for two points) | 21-21 |
| 4th | 13:47 | GB | Jennings 21-yard pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick) | 21-28 |
| 4th | 11:14 | CAR | Williams 1-yard run (Kasay kick) | 28-28 |
| 4th | 2:00 | GB | Crosby 19-yard field goal | 28-31 |
| 4th | 1:33 | CAR | Williams 1-yard run (Kasay kick) | 35-31 |
The numbers
Rodgers completed 29 of 45 passes for 298 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and was sacked twice. Delhomme threw only 17 times, completing 12 for 177 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions; Smith caught four of those for 105 yards. Williams carried 21 times for 72 yards, and Jones had 155 yards on four kickoff returns.
| Carolina | Green Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | Jake Delhomme, 12 of 17, 177 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT | Aaron Rodgers, 29 of 45, 298 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing leaders | DeAngelo Williams, 21 carries, 72 yards, 4 TD; Jonathan Stewart, 4 carries, 58 yards | Brandon Jackson, 11 carries, 80 yards; Ryan Grant, 12 carries, 39 yards |
| Receiving leaders | Steve Smith, 4 catches, 105 yards; Muhsin Muhammad, 2 catches, 50 yards | Greg Jennings, 8 catches, 91 yards, 1 TD; Donald Driver, 5 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD |
| Sacks | 2 (Julius Peppers 2) | 2 (Aaron Kampman 2) |
| Turnovers | 1 (lost fumble) | 2 (lost fumble, interception) |
What came next
Williams scored four rushing touchdowns again three weeks later at the Giants, and he finished the 2008 regular season with 18, the most in the NFL. Carolina won three of its last four games, finished 12-4 and won the NFC South, then lost at home to Arizona 33-13 in the divisional round. Green Bay lost four of its last five and finished 6-10.
Crosby’s fourth-down kick is the kind of decision covered in our fourth-down guide, and the clock math around the two-minute mark is in NFL timing explained.
The 2026 connection
The teams already met this season: Green Bay beat Carolina 27-19 at Lambeau in Week 8, a game Matt LaFleur credited to his defense. In Week 10 the Packers (6-3) host Minnesota, and the Panthers (3-5) visit the Saints (3-5) in an NFC South game.
The scoring plays, drive notes and player numbers above come from the official play-by-play and game data.
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