The Green Bay Packers improve to 2-0 on the season with a 30-23 victory over the Carolina Panthers. QB Aaron Rodgers delivered another solid performance, throwing for 308 yards and 2 TDs.
The Green Bay Packers’ defense, on the other hand, has not been as solid, as they gave up another 400+ yard passing performance, this time to rookie QB Cam Newton after giving up 419 yards to New Orleans Saints’ QB Drew Brees last week. However, the defense again came up with the key stop when they needed it, just as they did to preserve the 42-34 victory against the Saints last week.
The Packers’ defense didn’t get off to a great start in this one, though, giving up 10 first quarter points, as the Panthers built up a 13-0 lead. With 9:58 left in the first half, RB John Kuhn rushed up the middle for a 1-yard TD run to cut the deficit to 13-7 at the half.
Early in the second half, Rodgers found WR Greg Jennings for a 49-yard touchdown pass to put the Green Bay Packers ahead 14-13. The Packers added three field goals off of the foot of K Mason Crosby to make the score 23-13 Packers after three quarters.
After the Panthers closed the gap to 23-16 early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers were driving to tie the game, but the defense came up big to stop Carolina. LB Clay Matthews was able to stop Newton a yard short on 4th and 1 to give the ball back to the Packers’ offense.
Two plays later, Rodgers found WR Jordy Nelson for an 84-yard touchdown pass that extended the lead to 30-16. Green Bay did not have the victory locked up yet, however. Newton rushed up the middle for a 4-yard TD run with 0:37 seconds left to narrow the lead to 30-23. The Green Bay Packers were able to recover the onside kick, however, ending Carolina’s comeback hopes.
Despite the Packers’ defense allowing 432 passing yards and 53 rushing yards on 10 carries to Newton, the defense did cause Newton to throw 3 interceptions, two of them to CB Charles Woodson. Still, the defense knows that it needs to improve in order to continue their winning ways, as they cannot keep allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw for over 400 yards each week and expect to win. To this point, it has not hurt their record, and the defense hopes that this rough stretch will help to build their character and make the defense that much stronger as the season goes along.
On a positive note, Green Bay Packers’ WR Donald Driver caught a 10-yard pass from Rodgers to become the Packers’ career leader in receiving yards with 9,666. On a negative note, Packers’ S Nick Collins was taken off the field on a stretcher after sustaining a neck injury while trying to tackle Panthers’ RB Jonathan Stewart during the fourth quarter. The Packers issued a statement after the game that Collins had “normal feeling and complete movement” in his extremities, but would be hospitalized overnight for observation.
With the win, the Green Bay Packers improve to 2-0, staying tied atop the NFC Central with the Detroit Lions, who crushed the Kansas City Chiefs earlier Sunday 48-3. The Carolina Panthers suffered their second straight 7-point defeat to fall to 0-2 on the season and stay in last place in the NFC South.
Coming up next week, the Packers head to Soldier Field to take on the archrival Chicago Bears, who are 1-1 on the season. Game time is at 4:15 P.M. EDT/3:15 P.M. CDT.
