Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes on Thursday night, leading the Packers to a 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field in a game that was far less comfortable than the early score suggested. The Packers improved to 5-3, while Carolina fell to 3-4, according to Packers.com and NBC Sports.
Love finished 30-of-41 for 288 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, according to both reports. His scoring passes went to Tucker Kraft, Matthew Golden and Josh Jacobs, and Jacobs added a rushing touchdown of his own. Green Bay built a 27-10 lead in the third quarter before Carolina rallied late, but the Packers held on in the closing minutes.
Love spreads the ball around Green Bay
The Packers’ passing game did most of the damage. Golden caught seven passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, Kraft caught six for 53 yards and a score, and Jacobs caught the other touchdown pass, according to Packers.com. Love’s efficiency early in the game helped Green Bay overcome three turnovers, a point stressed in the Associated Press account carried by several outlets.
Carolina quarterback Bryce Young finished 23-of-41 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception, according to Packers.com. The Packers sacked Young six times, a defensive effort that repeatedly stalled Carolina drives even when Green Bay gave the ball away.
Panthers rally falls short in fourth quarter
Carolina trailed 27-10 in the third quarter before cutting the gap to 27-19 with 5:37 remaining, when Young hit Jalen Coker with a 26-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-3, according to the Associated Press report. That was as close as the Panthers got. Green Bay’s defence, which had already forced key stops, closed out the game without allowing another scoring drive.
The result also underlined Green Bay’s strange offensive balance. The Packers entered the night last in the NFL in rushing at 59.9 yards per game and managed only 66 yards on the ground against Carolina, according to the Associated Press account. Love’s arm, rather than the run game, carried the offence — and on this night, it was enough.
What the win means for Green Bay
At 5-3, Green Bay stays firmly in the playoff picture in the NFC, while Carolina’s slide to 3-4 leaves the Panthers chasing ground. The Packers will take the win, but the three turnovers and the late rally they allowed will give coaches plenty to correct before Week 9. For Carolina, the positives were resilience and a late spark from Young, but the six sacks and the slow start proved too much to overcome on the road at Lambeau Field.
