The Green Bay Packers walked out of Thursday night with a 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers and a 5-3 record, but the performance came with plenty of loose edges. Green Bay got the result, yet the night never settled into a comfortable cruise, and the biggest reason was the same issue that has followed this team all season: the run game never really showed up.
Even with Aaron Banks back at left guard, which moved Laken Tomlinson to right guard, the Packers couldn’t get traction on the ground against the NFL’s worst rush defense. Green Bay’s three backs combined for 25 carries and 48 yards, a 1.9 yards per carry average. If this team doesn’t find a way to flip that part of the offense soon, it’s going to pay for it later.
The game kept shifting in both directions. Carolina jumped ahead 3-0 after receiver Coleman Owen, who had been limited to punt return duty before Thursday, fumbled the opening snap of the game.
Green Bay later built a 27-13 lead, only for the Panthers to answer with a long 12-play, 70-yard drive that gave them a shot at the end. The Packers also let momentum wobble when kicker Trey Smack missed an extra point on Green Bay’s first go-ahead drive of the night.
Christian Watson headlined the passing game for Green Bay, finishing with nine catches for 113 yards. He also had to go to the hospital during the game because of a chest injury, which only added another strange twist to a night that already had plenty of them.
On defense, the Packers did what they couldn’t do against Detroit’s Jared Goff on Sunday: they got to the quarterback. Bryce Young was under constant heat, and the pressure produced six sacks. Carolina’s quarterback finished with 176 total yards on 47 dropbacks, or 3.7 yards per play, while Jordan Love threw for 288 yards on 41 dropbacks, averaging 7.0 yards per play.
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Jordan Love Is Carrying A Packers Problem That Could Get Bigger
Jordan Love kept the Packers moving in a 27-19 win over the Panthers, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns while also dealing with the kind of game that has become familiar in Green Bay. The passing game has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting, and Loves command of it has helped the Packers keep winning even when the offense is not finding much balance on the ground.
The larger concern is what that imbalance means going forward, especially with Josh Jacobs back in the mix but not yet able to change the shape of the attack. Green Bay is winning in a way almost no team has in modern football, but the run game still looks stuck, and if it stays that way, Love may keep carrying a burden that only gets heavier as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Micah Parsons Trade Debate Just Got Reignited Again In Green Bay
Micah Parsons has not taken the field for the Packers this season while he continues recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in December 2025, but his blockbuster move from Dallas is still drawing fresh attention. Green Bay landed the pass rusher in a deal that sent Kenny Clark and two future first-round picks to the Cowboys, a trade that already carried plenty of scrutiny because of the price tag and the long wait before Parsons can make an impact.
The latest round of debate picked up again after Terrence Parsons Jr. publicly took aim at Dallas, arguing the Cowboys came up short in the return they got for his brother. His comments, paired with a separate trade involving Jeffery Simmons, have only kept the conversation alive around whether Dallas maximized the deal or left more value on the table for Green Bay to chase down once Parsons is healthy. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Jacobs Sparked An Ugly Packers Debate Fans Didn't Expect
Josh Jacobs gave the Packers a needed spark in their win over the Panthers, finding the end zone and adding some extra heat to the moment with a handcuff gesture after his one-yard touchdown. It was the kind of celebration that instantly grabbed attention on a night Green Bay could feel good about on the field, especially with Jacobs already established as a major part of the offense after signing his four-year extension in 2024.
But the reaction went beyond the scoreboard because of Jacobs past and the context that still follows him around. He was arrested in May on domestic disturbance, battery and property-damage allegations before later pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges, and he missed the first six weeks of the season because of NFL sanctions. So even a routine scoring play turned into a fresh debate, with the celebration drawing as much discussion as the touchdown itself. [Read more 🡒]