Week 8 opens under the lights at Lambeau Field, where Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers will try to rebound from a divisional loss when they host Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.
Green Bay comes in off a setback against the Detroit Lions in a crucial NFC North matchup last week, a result that dropped the Packers into last place in the division even though they still own a winning record. That loss ended a three-game run following a 1-2 start, and it also came with veteran running back Josh Jacobs back in the mix after serving a suspension for the first six games of the season.
Carolina arrives at 3-3 after getting blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Tampa Bay controlled the Panthers on the ground and exposed a defense that has been allowing more than five yards per carry this season.
The Panthers, though, are still trying to prove they belong in the playoff conversation after winning the division in 2025. Young has piled up plenty of passing yards to help Carolina get to a .500 mark through six games, but the rough showing coming out of the bye in Week 6 has added some pressure as the Panthers try to stay ahead of the Atlanta Falcons and the Bucs in the NFC South.
Oddsmakers have made Green Bay the favorite, and the setup makes sense given how much the Packers need every win in a division where all four teams are above .500.
The spread opened with Green Bay laying 3.5 points, and there hasn’t been much movement there. The total, however, has climbed from 47.5 to 48.5 heading into kickoff.
SI Betting’s Iain MacMillan is backing the Packers to win and cover in his Road to 272 column. He wrote:
“I wrote about how I was out on the Panthers last week, and I proved to be right as they ended up on the wrong side of a blowout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'm still out on this Panthers team, as they seem like a significant regression candidate after a strong start to the season. Bryce Young, up until last week, had been playing leaps and bounds better than he had the previous three seasons, and I'm of the belief that it's more of a sign of an abnormally strong start against some bad defenses as opposed to a quarterback who improved by tenfold in a single offseason.
The Packers' defense ranks 12th in opponent EPA per play and 10th in opponent EPA per dropback, so with them being on their home field on a short week, I expect them to get to Young in this game.
I'll take the Packers to cover on Thursday Night Football.”
MacMillan also pointed to Green Bay’s offensive matchup, noting that Love should have chances to attack through the air against a Panthers defense that ranks 20th in EPA/Play and entered Week 7 allowing the most yards per carry in the league.
On the other side, Green Bay’s defense held Detroit to 20 points and now sits fifth in the league in EPA/Play. MacMillan added that if not for multiple missed field goals, the Packers could be sitting at 5-2 instead of coming into Thursday night at 4-2.
Carolina may still have a path to winning the NFC South, but the Panthers are banged up, traveling on a short week, and walking into a difficult road environment. MacMillan is trusting Green Bay to handle business at home in a game the Packers need to stay in the NFC North race.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Have A Trade Deadline Problem In The Secondary
The Panthers have spent the weeks leading up to the trade deadline looking for help at cornerback after injuries hit Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, and the market has already started to come into focus. ESPN has tied Carolina to a pair of possible targets in Riq Woolen and Donte Jackson, giving the team at least a couple of paths to patch up a position group that has suddenly become a concern.
Woolen would bring the bigger upside if Carolina wanted to swing for impact, even if there are obvious questions attached to his play. Jackson, meanwhile, would offer a more familiar kind of solution and could help stabilize the spot sooner rather than later. Either way, the Panthers appear to have a real deadline decision to make if they want to keep the secondary from becoming an even bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Secondary Just Took Another Hit Before Jordan Love Test
The Panthers secondary took another blow this week when Akayleb Evans was placed on injured reserve with knee and triceps injuries, knocking him out for Sundays matchup with the Packers. Evans had stepped into a starting role over the last three games, giving Carolina some needed stability in a back end that has already been stretched thin by injuries to Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson.
Now the Panthers are heading into Week 8 with even less margin for error against Green Bay and quarterback Jordan Love, who has been productive through the air this season. For a defense already trying to patch together its coverage plan, losing another corner only adds to the pressure to find answers quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Secondary Suddenly Faces A Brutal Test In Green Bay
With the Panthers heading into Thursday nights game in Green Bay, the secondary has been thinned to the point where roster depth is now part of the weekly game plan. Carolina is elevating veteran cornerback Marco Wilson from the practice squad as the injuries continue to pile up, leaving the team with just two healthy cornerbacks on the active roster.
Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are on injured reserve, while Akayleb Evans is sidelined with injuries, and the challenge does not stop there. The Panthers will also be without pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and left guard Damien Lewis, adding more pressure to a short-handed group that is about to be tested under the lights against the Packers. [Read more 🡒]