Takeaways from Panthers' thrilling walkoff win over Packers in Lambeau

The Carolina Panthers bounced back from a dismal 40-9 showing last week in a big way. On the road, where they've been dreadful during the Bryce Young/Dave Canales era, they played the 5-1-1 Green Bay Packers, walked off with a stunning victory as two-TD underdogs.

Bryce Young showed a lot of rust

Bryce Young missed last week, and he was definitely rusty in his return. That, as well as some windy conditions, didn't help against a very strong Green Bay defense. He missed some throws and made some curious decisions, namely on his end-zone interception. But he was far from unplayable, and he thankfully saved us all from having to watch Andy Dalton again. And he led another game-winning drive. They may have won with and not because of him, but Dalton likely loses that contest.

The defense was surprisingly stout

The Packers' offense has been excellent all year, but they really struggled today. They had some chunk plays, but the Panthers' defense held up. Perhaps it was a combination of horrible offense and a rested Bills offense last week, because otherwise, this defense has been shockingly competent, especially against the run. That continued today.

Dave Canales had a decent day

I've been a critic of Dave Canales at times, but he did a pretty strong job today. The decision to take the ball first backfired after a penalty on fourth down, but it was a smart decision, and his defense rewarded him by forcing a missed field goal to open the third. His game plan was sturdy, as was the playcalling for the most part, especially with a challenging day moving the ball through the air. He did lose a challenge, but it's hard to fault him for challenging the ruling on that one. He did get outcoached at the very end by Matt LaFleur and with some questionable decisions (although Fitzgerald made the kick anyway), but he was solid overall.

Rico Dowdle is the RB1

Chuba Hubbard can kiss his job goodbye. Thanks to Canales finally making the switch, Rico Dowdle got the RB1 role. Despite playing against a vaunted rushing defense, he had a really strong outing as the lead back, and it should be more than enough to cement himself as the RB1 for the rest of the season. He was the best player maybe on either offense today.

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