Three Biggest Matchups, Players, Phases, Questions for Packers-Panthers

The Green Bay Packers (5-1-1) will battle the Carolina Panthers (4-4) at Lambeau Field on Sunday. Here’s everything you need to know about this NFC matchup, including TV information, weather, big matchups and key players.

Time, TV, Weather for Packers-Panthers

Date and Time: Sunday at noon.

TV: Fox Sports, with Adam Amin doing play-by-play joined by analyst Greg Olsen with Pam Oliver on the sideline.

Will you be able to watch the game?

Betting Line: The Packers are 13.5-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Weather: Partly cloudy with a kickoff temperature of about 52 degrees, with southwest winds of 10 to 20 mph, according to WBAY-TV.

Matchup History: The Packers are 12-6 against the Panthers and have won the last three matchups. The last five games have been decided by single digits, including a 33-30 win at Carolina in 2023, and the Packers have scored 24-plus points in the last 11 games.

Packers-Panthers: Three Players to Watch for Carolina

1. RB Rico Dowdle

After starting the season behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart, Rico Dowdle got his opportunity to start when a calf injury sidelined Hubbard for Week 5. Dowdle took the opportunity and ran with it, posting 569 total yards across three games and leading the Panthers on a three-game winning streak.

The Panthers tried to split the touches in the backfield when Hubbard returned in Week 7 against the Jets, but after a 40-9 loss to the Bills last week in which Hubbard only had 2.8 yards per carry, the Panthers decided they were going with Dowdle as their main back on Sunday at Lambeau.

Even after averaging only 20.8 rushing yards per game for the first four weeks of the season, Dowdle has jumped into the top five in the NFL in rushing yards with 605. Most of his yards came in Weeks 5 and 6 but as the top dog in the backfield, Dowdle has the opportunity to cement himself as a top running back this week.

2. WR Tetairoa McMillan

The Panthers made Tetairoa McMillan the eighth pick in the 2025 draft, and he has been living up to expectations with 37 catches for an 11th-ranked 512 yards.

While McMillan has been great in getting his team down the field, he has struggled at getting into the end zone, with just two touchdowns despite having nine red-zone targets.

The Packers, who benched high-priced free-agent addition Nate Hobbs last week, rank 15th against the pass and have allowed at least two touchdown passes in four consecutive games.

3. QB Bryce Young

After missing last week’s game against the Bills with an ankle injury, struggling Bryce Young is healthy and ready to take on the Packers.

The No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft had his best game of the season in Week 2 against the Cardinals, when he completed 35 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns in a road loss. He has not thrown for even 200 yards since. He is 24th among full-time starters in passing yards per game (184.0), 24th in completion percentage (61.6) and 25th in passer rating (84.5).

Arguably the best game of Young’s career came against Green Bay in 2023. If he isn’t on point on Sunday, the Panthers won’t have much of a chance to pull off the upset.

Packers-Panthers: Three Players to Watch for Green Bay

1. QB Jordan Love

Jordan Love is coming off arguably the best game of his career, throwing for 360 yards and three touchdowns with a 74.8 completion percentage in the come-from-behind win at Pittsburgh. The highlight of the night was Love’s 20 consecutive completed passes, tying Brett Favre’s Packers record.

“I can’t say that I’ve been a part of that. And what’s funny is, like in-game, I had no idea, to be honest with you,” coach Matt LaFleur said of Love’s streak.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) throws over Brian Burns during the 2023 game at the Carolina Panthers. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Love was awarded with NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for Week 8. He had season highs in passing yards, completion percentage and passer rating, tied his season high for passing touchdowns and for the fifth time this season didn’t throw an interception.

2. TE Tucker Kraft

Like Jordan Love, Tucker Kraft had his best game of the season against the Steelers. He posted season highs in receptions (seven), receiving yards (143) and receiving touchdowns (two).

Most of his production came after he got the ball in his hands. He posted a career-high 128 yards after the catch, the most by any player this season. That includes the longest play of the season for the Packers, a 59-yard catch and run on third down.

When talking about Love’s Offensive Player of the Week award, LaFleur said “you could argue that Tuck could have gotten that thing, as well.”

Kraft’s performance catapulted him into a tie for 21st in the NFL in receiving yards and on pace to finish with 1,139 yards. Kraft is No. 5 in the NFL with 11.2 yards after the catch per catch and is the only non-running back averaging 10-plus YAC. We’ll see what kind of encore he has against the 10th-ranked Panthers passing defense.

3. DE Rashan Gary

After sacking former teammate Aaron Rodgers twice last week, Rashan Gary broke into the top five in the NFL in sacks with 7.5. Micah Parsons is right behind him with 6.5.

“He’s done a great job of maximizing his opportunities,” LaFleur said about Gary. “I think he’s playing tough, he’s playing hard. And I think all those guys, collectively, they all play off one another. It’s hard for one guy just to do it all on their own. Typically, if you got four guys rushing, you need them rushing as one, and so they can all play off one another. And I think they’ve been doing a good job. I think that rapport has been growing week by week.”

With Devonte Wyatt returning last week and perhaps playing without restrictions this week, Gary could be in for another great game against a Panthers offensive line that has been slammed by injuries and given up 19 sacks this season.

Packers-Panthers: The Three Phases

Panthers on Offense

Last season, the Panthers ranked 29th in total offense and 23rd in scoring, finishing with a 5-12 record. The Panthers are 4-4 this season but not much better on offense, moving up to 20th in total offense but sliding to 27th with 19.3 points per game.

The Panthers are led by 2023 first-overall pick Bryce Young. Young isn’t having a great season, ranking 25th in passing yards (1,288) and completion percentage (61.6). He’s thrown 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, ranking 28th in yards per attempt and 23rd in interception percentage.

He didn’t play in the blowout loss to Buffalo because of an ankle sprain but is expected to start on Sunday. In his last game against the Jets in Week 7, he threw for 138 yards and a touchdown. A week earlier, he had a season-high 114.8 passer rating against Dallas.

Due to a couple of great performances by running back Rico Dowdle, the Panthers’ rushing offense is fifth in the NFL with 136.9 yards per game and 10th with 4.6 yards per carry. After splitting touches in the backfield between Chuba Hubbard and Dowdle, the Panthers have decided to go with Dowdle as the top running back.

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs with the ball during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Their passing game is near the bottom of the league at 30th overall with 197.6 yards per game. Their receiving corps is led by first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan, who has 512 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 13.8 yards per catch.

Young has been sacked 11 times in seven games; backup Andy Dalton was sacked seven times last week alone.

Panthers on Defense

The Panthers are 11th in total defense, allowing 310.0 yards per game, and 20th in scoring defense, allowing 24.0 points per game.

The Panthers are 10th in the NFL against the pass, allowing 198.4 yards per game. They are tied for 11th in interceptions with six, three of which were grabbed in road games by fifth-year cornerback Jaycee Horn. He has been above average in coverage, allowing a completion percentage of 56.3 and a passer rating of 47.9 when targeted, according to PFF. The other cornerback, Michael Jackson, is tied for fourth in the league with nine passes defensed.

The Panthers’ pass rush is relatively weak. Led by defensive end Derrick Brown (three sacks), the Panthers have just 13 sacks. They are 26th in sack percentage.

Their run defense is right in the middle of the league at 16th overall, allowing 111.6 yards per game. Led by linebacker Christian Rozeboom (62 tackles, three TFLs) and safety Tre’von Moehrig (50 tackles, six TFLs) they have allowed nine rushing touchdowns, the 10th-most in the NFL.

The Panthers are 25th on third down but 13th in the end zone. They have recovered only one fumble, tied for the second-fewest in the league. Their turnover differential is minus-5.

Panthers on Special Teams

The Panthers’ kicker is rookie Ryan Fitzgerald. He is 13-for-15 on field goals, including a 5- yarder that came in a Week 3 blowout against the Falcons, and he is 13-for-15 on extra points.

The punter is veteran Sam Martin. In his first season with the team, he has punted 27 times for an average of 47.9 yards. Eleven have pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line with one touchback.

Green Bay’s punt-return unit has been poor all season, but 17 of Martin’s punts have been returned for an average of 16.4 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown. While Carolina’s punt coverage ranks 31st, its kickoff coverage is second.

The Panthers have had four players, all of which are running backs, return kicks. Trevor Etienne is averaging 23.4 yards per kickoff return and 6.6 yards per punt return.

Packers-Panthers: Three Keys to Victory

1. Get the Run Game Going

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) runs for a touchdown against Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

After struggling to run the ball against the Steelers – most of their 94 yards came in the second half from Emanuel Wilson – the Packers need to be better against the Panthers.

After one of his worst games of the season, Josh Jacobs will be looking to get back on track. Carolina is 16th against the run. While it gave up 216 rushing yards against Buffalo’s James Cook last week, it yielded only 131 yards the previous three games combined.

2. Get Playmakers Involved Again

For the second consecutive week, the Packers proved that the offense is at its best when it gets the ball to its top pass catchers.

The biggest name against the Steelers was tight end Tucker Kraft. He caught seven passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. It was the second-most receiving yards by a tight end this season and the most yards by any tight end with multiple touchdowns. Christian Watson had a great game in his first game back from a knee injury.

If the Packers can get their top players involved like that again, as well as getting Josh Jacobs and Matthew Golden going, their offense could be nearly impossible to stop.

3. Get to Bryce Young

The Packers’ defensive front has been dangerous this season, and that could continue against an injury-plagued offensive line and a quarterback who might be at less than 100 percent mobility.

The best way to stop an offense is to get it behind the sticks and keep them off-schedule, and that’s exactly what Rashan Gary and Micah Parsons have done throughout the season. At fifth and sixth, respectively, in the NFL in sacks, they can be a nightmare for Young as he returns from an ankle injury.

The Panthers are only 23rd on third down. Their third-down conversion rate through the air is 24th, where Young’s passer rating of 63.0 ranks 28th out of 30 quarterbacks with at least 40 third-down attempts.