Laugh at Bill’s Week 9 NFL Predictions, Including Packers-Panthers

The Packers will host the Panthers on Sunday. Will it be a trap game or will the Packers extend their winning streak to four?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) looks to pass in the second quarter at Carolina in 2023. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Trap game.

That’s conventional wisdom – well, conventional fear – with the Green Bay Packers set to play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, a game sandwiched between Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday night and the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles next Monday night.

Will the Packers avoid the trap? Here are this week’s predictions.

Packers-Panthers Prediction

On paper, this should be a blowout. The Packers have won three in a row, including back-to-back games on the road. They dominated the second half last week to beat the first-place Steelers. With a 5-1-1 record, they have the best record in the NFC.

Carolina is improved, to be sure, with a 4-4 record. However, those four victories have come against teams with a combined nine wins. The Panthers are minus-5 in touchdowns and minus-38 in scoring. They are bad on third down on offense, bad on third down and defense and minus-5 in turnovers.

Hence, the fear of the trap game. No matter how disciplined a player is, how can he not look ahead to next week? Last season, the Eagles beat the Packers in Week 1 and they beat them in the playoffs. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. The Eagles are the best, at least until proven otherwise.

But first, there’s the Panthers.

“I’m not worried about it,” coach Matt LaFleur said this week. “We’ve got enough to worry about just within ourselves and a lot of growth in front of us. If we want to play our best football, we should only be worried about today and this game and nothing else outside of that.”

He’s right, and that should a simple, easy-to-digest message for the players in the locker room. The Packers were down by two scores at halftime at Pittsburgh. They trailed by a touchdown entering the fourth quarter at Arizona. They needed a clutch field goal to hold off the Bengals.

So, the Packers won three in a row in October but they haven’t dominated a game since September.

The Packers can’t run the ball on offense and they don’t force turnovers on defense. So, this is not a team that’s a finished product. There is plenty to work on to keep the players’ attention focused on the Panthers and not tush pushes.

“They’re 4-4, so I wouldn’t really consider them a trap team,” defensive end Micah Parsons said. “They beat an explosive offense in Dallas that we didn’t beat (and) they beat the Falcons, so this team is a very good team. I wouldn’t consider this a trap game even with Philly next week.

“This is just all about us and how we prepare and just we can’t beat ourselves. The two games we tied or lost, we beat ourselves. We missed at the end of the game and we just didn’t play good enough defensively against Dallas, so those are all things we can look forward to do this week is play good on defense for four quarters.”

Coming off two huge, emotional wins at home against Detroit and Washington to start the season, the Packers laid an egg the following week at Cleveland.

The Packers – playing at home this time – will have learned their lesson.

Prediction: Packers 30, Panthers 17.

Last week’s prediction: Packers 27, Steelers 23.

Season record: 4-2-1.

Week 9 NFL Predictions

Thursday: Ravens over Dolphins.

Sunday early: Bears over Bengals, Lions over Vikings, Packers over Panthers, Broncos over Texans, Patriots over Falcons, 49ers over Giants, Colts over Steelers, Chargers over Titans.

Sunday afternoon: Rams over Saints, Raiders over Jaguars, Chiefs over Bills.

Primetime: Seahawks over Commanders, Cowboys over Cardinals.

Last week: 9-4.

Season: 78-43.