Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 16-13 Loss to the Panthers in Week 9

The Green Bay Packers played a sloppy game and fell to the Carolina Panthers 16-13. The game was decided on the final play with a 49-yard field goal. The Packers struggled to stop the run and couldn’t convert in the red zone and that plus some costly turnovers were enough to lose a game they were favored to win by two touchdowns. The Packers also lost tight end Tucker Kraft to a knee injury that could be serious. The loss drops the Packers record to 5-2-1 while the Panthers improve to 5-4. Here are 10 things we learned from the Packers 16-13 loss to the Panthers in Week 9:

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 16-13 Loss to the Panthers in Week 9, Number One: Red Zone Offense Was Terrible

The Packers were able to move the ball well until they got into the red zone. The Packers entered the red zone five times in the game but only managed to score a touchdown on their final trip inside the Carolina 20.

A fumble by Savion Williams ended one scoring chance. The Packers also turned the ball over on downs at the Panthers 13 and missed a field goal on another drive.

Turning opportunities into points is a key in any football game and the Packers just couldn’t get on track when they got close to the end zone. It was very costly in this three-point loss.

Number Two: Packers Couldn’t Stop the Run

Our first key to this game was stopping the Panthers running game. The Green Bay defense knew that Carolina emphasized the running game. They needed to emphasize it even more to try to keep the Packers offense off the field and to “shorten” the game.

Rico Dowdle had a strong game against the Packers defense which couldn’t stop him. He gained 109 yards on 21 carries and ran for two touchdowns. That’s a 5.2-yard average per carry.

The result was the Packers offense had only seven drives all game. The Panthers would have a very hard time beating the Packers if they had to rely on their passing attack. Unfortunately, in this game, they didn’t have to.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 16-13 Loss to the Panthers in Week 9, Number Three: Turnovers Were Costly

The Packers committed two turnovers in this game, but they both proved costly. The first came on the team’s opening drive when Williams fumbled inside the red zone. Had the Packers gone up 7-0 early, it could have seriously hurt the confidence of the underdog Panthers who were blown out by Buffalo last week.

The second turnover was an interception by Jordan Love that was a poor decision and a poor throw. Love was trying to throw deep on this blustery day, but the ball was underthrown. The receiver was also covered by two defenders with a third nearby.

The 36-yard interception return gave Carolina the ball at the Green Bay 38. That set up a short touchdown drive by the Panthers that put them ahead 13-6.

The Packers were minus-one in turnover differential. Both miscues proved costly. Eliminate either turnover, and the Packers probably win the game.

Number Four: Penalties Hurt Again

Mistakes keep costing the Packers. They committed seven penalties on the game with six of them coming in the first half. Two of the penalties gave Carolina first downs.

The penalties were costly to the offense and of course the special teams units committed a few as well. The Packers were even called for an illegal formation on a kickoff which is simply a careless mental mistake.

Ultimately, even against teams in the middle of the pack, you can’t afford to give the other team second chances, give up field position or create long yardage situations for your offense. The Packers have to clean this up now that they are about to enter the tougher part of their schedule.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 16-13 Loss to the Panthers in Week 9, Number Five: The Pass Rush Was Limited

The Packers vaunted pass rush recorded just one sack and two quarterback hits in this game. Xavier McKinney recorded the sack and one of the hits and the sack was for zero yards lost. Quay Walker had the other quarterback hit.

Obviously, part of the reason for the low numbers was that the Panthers only attempted 20 passes in the game and only one of them went for more than 20 yards. When they passed, Bryce Young usually threw short and released the ball quickly.

The quick releases combined with an effective running game limited the impact of the Green Bay pass rush which is the strength of the defense.

Number Six: Brandon McManus Continues to Struggle

Kicker Brandon McManus had another shaky game and missed a 43-yard field goal try in the third quarter. That is the third miss in the two games since McManus returned from his quad injury. That proved very costly in a game the Packers ultimately lost by three points on a last second field goal.

Yes, this was a windy day at Lambeau Field and that has to be taken into consideration. But if McManus is struggling because of the lingering impact of the injury, perhaps he needs more time to fully recover. This is something the coaching staff and medical staffs needs to determine before next Monday night’s game against the Eagles.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 16-13 Loss to the Panthers in Week 9, Number Seven: The Offense Never Got into a Rhythm

The Packers offense outgained the Panthers 369-265, but the offense never got into a rhythm. Yes, the wind limited the deep passing game that the Packers love so much, but the offense never seemed to click on all cylinders.

Matt LaFleur kept going to the run, even when it was having only intermittent success. More importantly, with the offense struggling to find a groove, LaFleur didn’t mix things up. Going no huddle or up tempo could have helped the offense a bit. LaFleur finally went to it late in the game, but adjustments should have been made sooner and more dramatically. Love is the lynchpin of this offense, but the game seemed more in the hands of Josh Jacobs than Love for too much of the game.

The Packers play calling needed to adjust sooner than they did to overcome the inconsistent play of the offense and get things back on track.

Number Eight: Key Injuries Hurt

The Packers suffered several injuries that hurt the team in this game. The biggest was an apparent knee injury to Kraft. After the game, Matt LaFleur simply said it “didn’t look good.” Kraft would have been a big asset in a game like this where his ability to run after the catch could have turned shorter, safer passes into longer gains.

The team also lost starting left guard Aaron Banks early in the game and had to move Sean Rhyan to left guard while Jordan Morgan played right guard.

Wide receivers Matthew Golden and Christian Watson also left the game due to injuries but returned after missing substantial time.

Colby Wooden left the game early and that didn’t help the Packers run defense.

The Packers should get a long-term diagnosis on these injuries early this week, but the injuries hurt them against the Panthers and could hurt big time if Kraft is lost long-term.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 16-13 Loss to the Panthers in Week 9, Number Nine: The Packers Were Outcoached

The Panthers coaching staff devised a game plan that accomplished everything they needed to win this football game. They ran the ball well and consistently. When they passed, they got the ball out quickly on short passes.

Even the coin toss was a smart move by the Panthers. They opted to receive the opening kickoff which gave them the wind in the second and fourth quarters of the game. That became critical on the game-winning kick from 49-yards out.

The Packers failure to make quicker adjustments and to get a rhythm on offense hurt them as well.

LaFleur also went for it on fourth down three times. While he made two of them, the one he didn’t make was a situation where taking the three points made more sense. That would have been a 31-yard chip shot that LaFleur turned down early in the fourth quarter.

Overall, this was not a great performance by the coaching staff, and it proved costly.

Number 10: Defending Champs Await

The Packers were fortunate that the Vikings upset the Lions which gives Detroit another divisional loss and keeps the Packers in first place in a very tight NFC North. This is the second loss the Packers had to a non-contending team that they easily could have and should have won.

The schedule will get tougher now. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles are coming to Lambeau Field next Monday night. Then, the Packers head back on the road to face the Giants followed by three straight division games against the Vikings, Lions and Bears.

The margin for error gets a lot smaller and the Packers failure to bank wins against significant underdogs may come back to haunt them if they can’t play more consistent and mistake free football in the coming weeks.