Sunday was a cold one at Lambeau Field. The Carolina Panthers took on the Green Bay Packers in a frigid game that even produced some snow. The Panthers made a valiant attempt to come back and win the game, but it wasn’t enough. The Packers would come away with the win, 24-16. Let’s take a look at the Panthers and what they did right and wrong in this game:
The Defense Could Not Stop the Packers
Ultimately, the deciding factor of the game was the inability of the Panthers to stop the run game of the Packers. Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams were virtually unstoppable Sunday, combining for 156 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Their ability to run the ball kept the defense off balance and the secondary of the Panthers were vulnerable to the passing attack of Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was not Superman in this game, but he did enough to hurt the Panthers through the air. The struggles in the past that the Panthers have had with stopping the run have continued to haunt them and it is the key reason they lost their fourth game this Sunday.
This Loss Was Not Entirely Kyle Allen’s Fault
The new kid did a great job this game in all honesty. He spread the ball around to his receivers, putting D.J. Moore to 100 yards in the game and almost getting Greg Olsen to the hundred yard mark as well. The young gun did make a mistake near the end of the game by throwing an interception, and once again he struggled with fumbling. His game was overshadowed by a late game interception, which was the main critique that put a damper on an otherwise decent game. Overall it wasn’t a horrible game for him. Once again, the brunt of the blame should fall on the neck of the defense and their inability to consistently contain the run game.
Moving Forward
The Panthers put up a good fight, and they went down swinging. Ultimately, they didn’t have enough to beat the Packers. Next week the Panthers will come back to Charlotte to take on their division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are off of a huge road win against the New Orleans Saints to end a skid that has seemed to have lasted all season long. Therefore, the Falcons will look continue to their recent success on the road by stealing another away win. The Panthers will be looking to start putting their work in to keep in the race for the division. The next couple of games they are going to see a lot of the Saints and the Falcons, and for the Panthers to have a shot at a Wild Card, they need to win every division game they can.
Next Week
Fundamentally, the Panthers need to do better at stopping the run this upcoming week. Running Back Devonta Freeman is still a solid player and can hurt teams if given the chance. Not to mention the threats the Falcons have in their receiving corps. Julio Jones is still one of the best receivers in the league and can put a hurting if left to his devices. It is going to be important for the Panthers to step up their game defensively. On the defensive side of the ball the Falcons haven’t been that impressive, except for the game against New Orleans. Quarterback Kyle Allen needs to shake off the loss and the defense needs to tighten up because if they don’t they will find themselves in a hole.
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