Packers host the Panthers under the lights this Saturday night
The Packers host the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field at 7:15 pm Central Time on Saturday night.
The Packers are 10-3 after their 31-24 victory at Detroit on Sunday, giving them the NFC North title, and are currently the #1 seed in the NFC. The Carolina Panthers are 4-9, losing 32-27 at home to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. As of yet, Carolina is not officially eliminated from playoff contention, but the odds are against them making the playoffs. They are currently tied for the worst record in the NFC.
Teddy Bridgewater is having a decent year statistically for the Panthers. Many of you may remember him from the Minnesota Vikings and that horrific injury he suffered. It wasn’t a guarantee he would ever play again but he found his way back into the NFL and had some good starts in place of Drew Brees for the New Orleans Saints last season. RB Christian McCaffrey is out, a huge loss for them, but they have some receiving threats in Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore. The Packers have played better on defense these last three games. This is no time to take a step back.
Aaron Rodgers is one touchdown pass away from 400 for his career. It’s likely that he will get it in this game, hopefully early, and then add on some more for good measure. Davante Adams is nine catches away from 100 for the season. Let’s get the running game going early, which will make the receivers even more difficult to cover.
Mason Crosby still has it in his leg. J.K. Scott seems to be getting off some good punts once again, although we hopefully won’t see him out there very often on Saturday. Both the punt and kickoff coverage are another story. They can’t keep playing with fire giving up these long returns. I am more confident in their defense than their special teams right now. There needs to be a change or it may cost them big time in one of these games.
The Packers and Panthers played a thrilling game at Lambeau Field last season. In snowy weather, the Packers prevailed 24-16, but it came down to the final play. Christian McCaffrey was stopped short of the goal-line as time expired and the Packers escaped with the victory. Hopefully, there won’t be this kind of drama at the end of the game on Saturday.
The first-ever meeting between the Packers and Panthers was an unforgettable one. It happened in the NFC Championship Game for the right to play in Super Bowl XXXI. The Panthers were in their second year of existence, and just like the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were also in their second year, they shocked the NFL by making it to the conference championship. The Panthers got thereby knocking off the Dallas Cowboys, something the Packers were unable to do the previous three seasons. Carolina got off to a 7-0 lead and a 10-7 lead, both scores set up by turnovers, but the Packers took over from there. The Packers won 30-13 and advanced to their first Super Bowl in 29 seasons. They would go on to defeat the New England Patriots 35-21 and bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay.
At 4-9, Carolina doesn’t have a good record but they did play some tough games against good teams. They defeated the Arizona Cardinals 31-21 and lost some close games on the road, 27-24 at New Orleans and 33-31 at Kansas City. They had a great chance to win vs the Vikings at Minnesota, but they blew it and lost a heartbreaker 28-27. The Packers cannot afford to take this team lightly. The Panthers know they probably aren’t going to make the playoffs, but this game might be their Super Bowl. They have a chance to knock off the top-seeded team in the NFC. Carolina is probably going to go for it on fourth down on every realistic opportunity and perhaps pull out a fake punt or field goal during the game. The Packers need to be ready for anything.
New Orleans has a big game at home vs Kansas City. Go Chiefs! A loss by the Saints and a win by the Packers would go a long way toward clinching the top seed in the NFC. The Packers just need to do their part and the rest will take care of itself. Let’s cheer the Packers to victory this Saturday night and enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #NFCNorthChampions #GregGoshaw @gg901
