Panthers Have to Win, But They Also Have to Do These 3 Things

Carolina needs to excel in these three areas

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The Carolina Panthers are back in action after a short week of preparation for Thursday Night Football. This is Carolina's lone appearance on TNF and their second-to-last primetime game, with Monday Night Football coming later this season.

Carolina travels to Lambeau Field, one of the most iconic stadiums in the NFL, to face the Green Bay Packers.

Both teams are coming off division losses; the Packers narrowly lost to the Lions, and the Panthers got their doors blown off by the Buccaneers.

If Carolina wants to reestablish a cushion at the top of the NFC South, then a big-time road win is needed on Thursday night. Here are three things that need to happen that will lead to a victory.

Stop the Run

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It's the most obvious issue that this team has, yet there's an actual chance to improve on Thursday night. The Packers rank 32nd in the NFL (last place) in rushing yards per game and total rushing yards this season.

Green Bay averages just 59.9 rushing yards per game. With Josh Jacobs back, he had a good receiving game against the Lions, but he rushed for just 36 yards on 11 attempts.

As bad as the run defense was against Tampa Bay and Chicago, the Panthers have shown they can do it, especially against Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions, limiting him to just 46 yards on the ground.

A Clean Pocket for Bryce Young

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Bryce Young turned the ball over three times against Tampa Bay, all of those turnovers led to good field position, and one of them directly led to points.

Bryce Young was pressured on over 68% of dropbacks against the Buccaneers; if thats the case on Thursday night, then expect more turnovers.

As for Young's performance on Thursday night, he doesn't need to light Green Bay up; he just needs to be efficient and avoid back-breaking mistakes. There's reason to believe Young can manage that because outside of one game, he's largely been great.

Lean on Chuba Hubbard

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Chuba Hubbard has been super reliable for the Panthers, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, which ranks ninth in the NFL. The Packers' run defense is slightly below average, ranking 17th in the NFL and allowing 115 rushing yards per game.

It's the perfect opportunity for Hubbard to be the catalyst for this offense, establish the ground game, and create openings for the passing game. Hubbard has posted 20+ carries in two of Carolina's last three games; that trend should continue tonight against the Packers' defense's weak link.