Packers take big lead and then hold on over Panthers, who are suddenly in a slump

Through the Carolina Panthers' first five games, it looked like Bryce Young was having an impressive breakout. There were even MVP chants. Those chants, and the idea that the Panthers might be making a big leap as a team, need to be paused. In five days, the Panthers walked back most of the positive strides they collectively had made in recent weeks. They followed up an ugly 43-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday by being outplayed on both sides of the ball Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers in a 27-19 loss. It wasn't the blowout the Panthers suffered in Week 7 — the Panthers had a shot to tie in the final five minutes, but had a hapless drive and turned it over on downs — but they're 3-4 and not looking like a playoff contender lately. The Packers had a lot to do with the Panthers' issues. Green Bay's defense has looked much better lately and should get Micah Parsons back soon. The Packers' offensive line is playing much better than it was early in the season, Jordan Love is on a hot streak and Josh Jacobs has brought some balance to the offense. The Packers (5-3) could still be a factor in the NFC North. The Panthers should be a factor in the NFC South, but that's mostly because the division isn't very good. Carolina had some good vibes early in the season, and those have taken a big hit in less than a week. Packers overcome early miscuesThe Packers fumbled away the opening kickoff. They missed an extra point on a touchdown. Christian Watson lost another fumble. Matthew Golden dropped a pass in the end zone. It wasn't pretty. But they ended up OK. Watson caught a long pass, though he suffered a chest injury and went to the hospital as a precaution (and returned to the game in the second half). One play after dropping the touchdown, Golden caught a 24-yard score. The Packers' defense was tremendous in the first half. Or perhaps it was the Panthers' offense that was floundering, a week after it was terrible against the Buccaneers. There was too much pressure on Bryce Young, who rarely had a comfortable pass. He had just 65 yards at the half. Top receiver Tetairoa McMillan had one catch for 10 yards. Fellow starting receiver Jalen Coker didn't have a catch in the first two quarters. The Panthers had only 87 yards as a team.On the other side, Love had 189 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The Packers led 20-10 at the half. Even though it was ugly at times, Green Bay looked good going into halftime. It was in way better shape than Carolina.Panthers get back in the gameThe Packers scored early in the second half on Jacobs' second touchdown of the night, a 4-yard score. That put them ahead 27-10. With the way the Panthers had looked on offense, that seemed like enough. Another Packers TD to extend the lead 🗣️CARvsGB on Prime VideoStream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/lM6xl74F0P— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2026 But Green Bay didn't deliver the knockout blow and the Panthers came alive for the type of drive they hadn't been able to put together all night. Young hit Coker for a 26-yard touchdown on fourth-and-3 and suddenly, with 5:37 left, the Panthers trailed 27-19 after missing the 2-point conversion. The Packers then had a quick three-and-out with two costly penalties, an ineligible man downfield that wiped out a nice gain by Tucker Kraft and an intentional grounding on third down. The Panthers had a shot to tie it after struggling most of the game. But the Panthers couldn't move the ball, failing to pick up a first down as Young threw short and incomplete on fourth down. The Packers ran out most of the clock after that, thanks to a Watson catch on third-and-2 just ahead of the two-minute warning. The Panthers got the ball back with 22 seconds left and no timeouts, and a sack of Young quickly ended any hopes of a miracle. When the Panthers went on the road and beat the Eagles in Week 6, they were 3-2 and feeling good. Things can change fast in the NFL, and now Carolina's momentum is headed the other way.