It’s crazy to think that Micah Parsons hasn’t played a snap yet for the Green Bay Packers because they’re starting to look pretty good without him. They beat the Carolina Panthers, 27-13, Thursday night at Lambeau Field.
There were warts. There were problems – especially in the fourth quarter. But the Packers kept going. And it shouldn’t feel good that the Packers entered this week as the fourth-ranked team in the NFC North — and the Panthers entered this week first in the NFC South. This helped demonstrate the substantial separation in quality between the two divisions. But there’s no consolation for the Packers, who face a tough schedule heading into the playoffs.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves: let’s think about the playoffs.
Here are my takeaways from the Packers’ win over the Panthers:
The Packers QB is gaining a reputation for the way he throws the deep ball. It’s magic to watch him drive the ball towards Christian Watson. Then Matthew Golden. Then Savion Williams or J. Michael Sturdivant. Anyone, really. It doesn’t matter.
But that might not even be the most impressive part of his game. My favorite element of the Love game is the mode he can beat the beat. It’s a beautiful thing. Against the Panthers’ relentless pass rush, Love finished 15 of 19 for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Love is making himself more and more valuable to the Packers with each game – making up for his lack of rushing efficiency. (More on that later.) This is an important element of an MVP candidacy. You have to face adversity. You have to win a lot of games and make the playoffs – but you also have to overcome heavy obstacles. This rotten rotten game qualifies.
Their decision to punt on third-and-2 for a first down in the fourth quarter spoke to Love’s MVP status, at least for the Packers. (He also talked about their lack of confidence in the running game.)
It should be a tough, tight MVP race this year, from Josh Allen to Joe Burrow to Caleb Williams. But Love has inserted himself into the conversation. He will rack up wins. He will collect statistics. His highlights will be absurd.
What don’t you like?
2.
This is the second week in a row that pressure has rendered Young useless.
We saw early in the season that Young can be an effective pocket passer when given the time to throw. But if you were like me, you watched the Browns game (when he really struggled on third and fourth downs) and got a warning that things could go wrong — in a hurry — for Young. And now they have.
This week, against the blitz, he was 6 of 13 for 68 yards, a touchdown and an interception with an above-expectation completion percentage of -10.9%. And against pressure, he was 7 of 17 for 41 yards and an interception for 2.4 yards per attempt.
Every QB is bad against pressure. It’s one of the few rules in football you can count on.
But as I mentioned just praising Love, the best quarterbacks can beat the punt. They knew where to go with the ball. They know how to get the ball out of their hands before the blitz hits. So could Young be one of those QBs?
For most of the game, he seemed completely shocked by what Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon called. There was really only one drive — the drive back to Jalen Coker — where Young showed promise to beat the blitz. And to Young’s credit, he can contend with the worst left tackle in football, Rasheed Walker. He allowed seven pressures, one sack and two penalties.
The Panthers have stuck with Young through thick and thin — working toward his development. And they deserve credit for that. But there’s something called the sunk cost fallacy, an irrational tendency to continue an endeavor or relationship after investing time and money—even when it makes the most sense to continue. With Young, the Panthers will have to battle it out.
But nights like Thursday make me wonder if the Panthers might have a new QB in 2027.
3.
In the first half, Watson caught a 52-yarder, but Panthers cornerback Will Lee landed on the receiver after he went to the ground. They both writhed in pain and headed to the dressing room – and Watson eventually left the stadium in an ambulance to have his chest injury checked out at a local hospital.
His night was over.
Like, completely done.
It had to be, because no one would return to the game after going to the hospital. This is not pro wrestling. Right?
Yes, Watson returned to Lambeau Field in an ambulance. And yes, he did return to the game, where he managed to grab one more catch for six yards.
This challenges most of what we know about injuries – and ambulance rides. But it also challenges what I thought I knew about Watson. He has missed one game in every season since entering the NFL in 2022. It was the biggest factor preventing him from making a big leap into WR1 status. But there he was, suffering a chest injury (and making a trip to the hospital) – before returning to the game.
You may wonder if this was a smart or common sense idea.
But you can’t question Watson’s toughness. He is suddenly an iron man.
3 1/2. What’s next?
The Packers will use their mini bye in preparation for the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium next week. This should be a big event for the folks in New England, where they’ll be celebrating Patriots Hall of Fame induction Rob Gronkowski — and Tom Brady’s first return to Foxborough as a broadcaster. Green Bay has a chance to play spoiler. The Packers can continue to build off this performance. Maybe they’ll even figure out how to run the football.
The Panthers will host the Denver Broncos at Bank of America Stadium next weekend. And if the Panthers thought the Packers defense was a tough opponent, they’ll be disappointed to hear the Broncos have been even better — allowing the seventh fewest points per game. It’s not exactly a proper opportunity. The Panthers will have to hope they can hold their own against the Blitz. And it looks like it could be a bad time to face Denver, with Broncos QB Bo Nix showing signs of improvement after a terrible four-week run.
