2025 Week 9 — Carolina at Green Bay

Packers seeking third straight win as they return home to face Panthers

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Carolina (4-4) at Green Bay (5-1-1)

Day/Time/TV: Sunday, 12:00 p.m. CST, FOX.

Against the spread: Panthers 5-3; Packers 3-4

Series record: Packers lead 12-6

Last meeting: Packers won 33-30 at Carolina on Dec. 24, 2023.

Last week: Panthers lost 40-9 at home to the Buffalo Bills; Packers won 35-25 at Pittsburgh.

Panthers offense: overall (20), rush (5), pass (29), scoring (27)

Packers offense: overall (7), rush (16), pass (7), scoring (5t)

Panthers defense: overall (11), rush (16), pass (10), scoring (20)

Packers defense: overall (6), rush (3), pass (15), scoring (10)

Turnover differential: Panthers minus-5; Packers plus-1

 All the elements are in place for a possible Green Bay Packers letdown. The Packers are coming off an emotional victory over former Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. A rematch of last season’s playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles is a week away. All that stands in the Packers’ way is a Lambeau Field matchup Sunday with a Carolina Panthers team that just got blown out at home.

Green Bay is confident it won’t get caught looking ahead. The Packers are intent on avoiding the mistakes that led to their lone loss of the season. “We’ve been in this position before,” quarterback Jordan Love said. Indeed, the Packers stumbled through a 13-10 defeat at Cleveland just before a highly anticipated trip to Dallas for Micah Parsons’ first matchup against his former team. The Packers ended up tying Dallas 40-all but have won three straight since.

Green Bay (5-1-1) owns the NFC’s best record but doesn’t have much margin for error in a conference featuring six teams with two or fewer losses. “We’ve got enough to worry about just within ourselves and a lot of growth in front of us,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “If we want to play our best football, we should only be worried about today and this game and nothing else outside of that.”

Carolina won four of its first seven games, an impressive accomplishment for a franchise that has suffered double-digit losses in each of the last six seasons. But the Panthers (4-4) got a reality check Sunday with a 40-9 loss at Buffalo in which veteran quarterback Andy Dalton filled in for the injured Bryce Young. Now comes a second straight matchup with a team that made the playoffs last season. “These are the types of matchups that we need to continue to push our football forward and find out a lot of information about who we are right now,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said.

The Packers know they can’t take anything for granted. “I think we’ve learned that you can never look past any team,” Love said. “You’ve got to take it one week at a time and you’ve got to be your best on Sunday.”

Young expected to return

Young returned to practice this week, and the Panthers are optimistic he will play after sitting out last week with an ankle injury. Young had won three straight starts before missing the Buffalo game. Dalton has a broken thumb and was limited in practice on Thursday. If Young and Dalton were both sidelined, the Panthers’ options would include Hendon Hooker and Mike White.

Packers’ pass rush

Parsons has a league-leading 44 quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. Parsons, who was named the NFC defensive player of the month, represents an imposing challenge for a Carolina offense that allowed seven sacks against Buffalo. Parsons has 6½ sacks and Rashan Gary has a team-high 7½. Gary delivered two sacks against the Steelers.

Dowdle likely to carry the load

Canales appears ready to give Rico Dowdle the bulk of Carolina’s carries this week. Chuba Hubbard and Dowdle had alternated series over the past two weeks, but Dowdle has clearly been more productive. “We cannot ignore the fact that Rico has been exceptional,” Canales said. Dowdle amassed 473 yards from scrimmage in back-to-back wins over Miami and Dallas while Hubbard was out with a calf injury. Dowdle ran for 133 yards on 25 carries the past two weeks, while Hubbard was limited to 65 yards on 26 carries with one touchdown.

Defending Kraft

The Panthers have struggled this season defending tight ends, which means Tucker Kraft could be in for another big day. Kraft had nine receptions for 143 yards and two TDs in the Packers' win at Pittsburgh. While the Panthers were able to hold Buffalo’s Dalton Kincaid in check on Sunday, New England’s Hunter Henry, Miami’s Darren Waller and Dallas’ Jake Ferguson all put up big games against Carolina.

Packers’ running issues

Green Bay is looking to get its running game in gear after gaining just 94 yards on the ground in each of its last two games. The Packers averaged 3.6 yards per rush against Pittsburgh, and Josh Jacobs was limited to 33 yards on 13 carries. Jacobs could have an easier time against Carolina, which allowed Buffalo’s James Cook to rush for a career-high 216 yards.

Panthers player to watch

WR Tetairoa McMillan, the No. 8 overall pick in the draft, is in the midst of a solid season with 37 receptions for 512 yards and two TDs in eight games, while averaging 13.8 yards per catch. The Panthers would like to get him into the end zone more often — one of his specialties while at the University of Arizona — but McMillan has been drawing a lot of double coverage in the red zone.

Packers player to watch

TE Tucker Kraft scored two touchdowns and set career highs in catches (seven) and yards receiving (143) against the Steelers. He has caught a touchdown pass in each of the Packers’ three home games this season. Kraft has 30 receptions for 469 yards and six touchdowns already this season. The only other tight ends ever to have at least 30 catches, 450 yards receiving and six touchdowns and an average of 15.5 yards per reception through the first seven games of a season are Jimmy Graham in 2013 and Rob Gronkowski in 2015.

Key matchup

Panthers running game vs. Packers run defense: Carolina is rushing for 136.9 yards per game to rank fifth in the league. Rico Dowdle had two massive games against Miami and Dallas in which he amassed 473 yards from scrimmage. Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard split carries the past two weeks after Hubbard returned from a calf injury. However, coach Dave Canales has finally admitted that Dowdle’s production has been too great to ignore and appears ready to give him a bigger share of the workload against Green Bay. He has a tough challenge ahead. Green Bay is allowing just 78.9 yards rushing per game to rank third in run defense.

Key injuries

Panthers: The Panthers had three more offensive linemen go down on Sunday with guard Brady Christensen lost for the season to a torn Achilles tendon. Right tackle Taylor (knee) and center Cade Mays (ankle) were also hurt and their status is unclear for Sunday. Moton has a better chance to play than Mays, per coach Canales. The Panthers should get G Chandler Zavala back from IR this week, so that will help.

Packers: DE Lukas Van Ness (foot) and WR Dontayvion Wicks (calf) didn’t play against the Steelers and weren’t practicing early this week.

Series notes

Green Bay won at Carolina on Christmas Eve two seasons ago on a tiebreaking field goal with 19 seconds left after the Panthers had rallied from a 14-point deficit. Carolina’s Bryce Young threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns in that game, while Green Bay’s Jordan Love had two touchdown passes and ran for a third score… The Packers have won their past three matchups in this series… The Panthers last beat the Packers 31-24 in 2017 at Carolina. The Panthers’ last win at Lambeau Field was a 35-31 decision in 2008… The past two times these two teams faced off at Lambeau Field, the Packers won by identical scores of 24-16. Those results came in 2019 and 2020… Seven of the past eight Packers-Panthers matchups had single-digit margins.

Stats and stuff

The Panthers are 1-3 on the road this season with their only win coming against the then-winless New York Jets in a sloppy game… QB Bryce Young (ankle) is expected to return to the lineup. He has won three straight starts, the longest streak of his NFL career… RB Chuba Hubbard scored Carolina’s lone touchdown last week, that coming on a fourth-quarter run against Buffalo with the Panthers down by 37 points… QB Andy Dalton was sacked seven times on Sunday and had three turnovers against the Bills to fall to 1-6 as a starter since joining the Panthers… Carolina’s defense had allowed just 131 rushing yards over the span of three games prior to allowing James Cook to run for 216 yards and two TDs last week… The Packers and Indianapolis Colts (7-1) are the only NFL teams with fewer than two losses… The Packers haven’t allowed a first-quarter touchdown all season… The Packers have committed only three turnovers to match the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFL’s lowest total… Packers QB Jordan Love is coming off a performance in which he threw 20 straight completions to tie Brett Favre’s franchise record. Love, the reigning NFC offensive player of the week, ended up throwing for 360 yards and three touchdowns against the Steelers… Kraft’s 143 yards receiving against the Steelers represented the second-highest, single-game total by any Packers tight end. Richard Rodgers had 146 yards receiving against Detroit on Dec. 3, 2015… Packers DE Rashan Gary has 7½ sacks to rank fifth in the league and Micah Parsons is sixth with 6½. Parsons has a league-high 44 quarterback pressures according to Next Gen Stats… Packers CB Keiesan Nixon has 11 passes defensed to rank second in the league, behind only Cincinnati’s D.J. Turner (13).

Panthers-Packers Gameday Program

Some selections from the Panthers-Packers Gameday program for Sunday’s matchup in Green Bay (courtesy of the Green Bay Packers).

 

2025 Week 8 — Green Bay at Pittsburgh

Aaron Rodgers will take on his former team for the first time when the Steelers host the Packers

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Green Bay (4-1-1) at Pittsburgh (4-2)

Day/Time/TV: Sunday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, NBC

Against the spread: Packers 2-4; Steelers 3-3

Series record: Packers lead 20-17.

Last meeting: Steelers beat Packers 23-19 on Nov. 12, 2023.

Last week: Packers beat Cardinals 27-23; Steelers lost to Bengals 33-31.

Packers offense: overall (14), rush (15), pass (12), scoring (7)

Packers defense: overall (6), rush (2), pass (15), scoring (10)

Steelers offense: overall (25), rush (26), pass (19), scoring (11)

Steelers defense: overall (19), rush (17), pass (31), scoring (28)

Turnover differential: Packers even. Steelers plus-5.

Aaron Rodgers knew this game might be coming five years ago. Maybe it’s why he appears to be at peace with what will be the very jarring visual of the four-time MVP standing on one side of the line of scrimmage and the team he long defined being on the other when Pittsburgh (4-2) hosts Green Bay (4-1-1) on Sunday night. Asked this week if his first-ever meeting with the Packers was about revenge, Rodgers simply shook his head. “What do I got to be avenging here?” Rodgers said this week, 2½ years after his remarkably successful run with Green Bay ended with a trade to the New York Jets so the Packers could hand the keys to the franchise to Jordan Love. “They made me a ton of money. I grew up there, spent some of the best years of my life there. I’ve got nothing but love for the organization.” And nothing but love for the man who replaced him.

The moment NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Love’s name near the end of the first round of the 2020 draft, Rodgers understood his time in Green Bay was on the clock. In a perfect world, Rodgers would have guided the Packers to another Super Bowl title and headed off into the California sunset while gracefully ceding the spotlight to Love. Yet Rodgers learned long ago that things rarely wrap up so tidily. And they didn’t. While Rodgers fended Love off for three years — a third and fourth MVP season helped — by early 2023, Love looked ready to take over, and the Packers were ready to move on. Somewhat begrudgingly, so was the quarterback who helped bring “Titletown, USA” its fourth Super Bowl.

So no, Rodgers is not bitter. If he were, why has he stayed in contact with Love since his departure? The two swapped texts last week, exchanging notes on what they’ve seen from common opponents. Their “student/teacher” dynamic has been replaced by something that sounds an awful lot like friendship. “(Love is) one of the real good guys in the league,” Rodgers said. “I’m sure his leadership has continued to grow over there, but I like the way he’s playing. He’s super accurate. He’s taking care of the football. He’s been opportunistic, making great throws down the field and using his legs as well.”

All words that have been used to describe Rodgers through the years. There is a symmetry to that, and maybe that’s the point. While Love was initially wary when he arrived in Green Bay, knowing his job was to eventually replace a future Hall of Famer, there was never the edginess that defined the relationship between Rodgers and Brett Favre, whom Rodgers replaced in 2008 much in the same way Love took over for him 15 years later. “I’ve got a lot of respect for how he handled it, the way he went about me coming in and like I said before, he welcomed me with open arms,” Love said.

Those arms have remained open through the years. Yes, Rodgers is enjoying his time in Pittsburgh. Yet he knows there is only one team he will be forever associated with. And it’s not the one he’ll be playing for under the prime-time lights this week. “Regardless of when I hang it up, that’s the bulk of my career,” Rodgers said, “I’ll retire a Packer and see what happens after that.”

Surging Jacobs

Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs has scored two touchdowns in each of his past three games. He did it despite dealing with a calf injury Sunday at Arizona and an illness that had him vomiting during a victory over the Bengals a week earlier. The previous Packers player to have multiple touchdown runs in three straight games within the same season was Hall of Famer Jim Taylor in 1961. Now Jacobs faces a Pittsburgh defense smarting after getting pushed around on the ground and lit up in the air by Joe Flacco and company last week in Cincinnati. “He plays with a mentality that he’s going to find a way to get it done,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “And that’s what you appreciate so much about him. But it’s not an accident.”

Get on my lawn

The turf at Acrisure Stadium came under fire following Pittsburgh’s victory over Cleveland earlier this month on a track that could be described as shoddy at best. The field typically gets chewed up every season as fall gives way to winter in Western Pennsylvania. It just happened to happen a little earlier than usual. While the surface was replaced recently, Pittsburgh and Green Bay will meet just over 24 hours after the conclusion of Saturday’s game between North Carolina State and the University of Pittsburgh, which also calls Acrisure Stadium home. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is more worried about the state of the field so much as what his team does while it’s on it. “I am not a grass expert,” he said. “I haven’t cut my grass in a long, long time. I coach football. I’m going to stay in my lane. I don’t even know who cuts my grass.”

Havrisik’s side hustle

Lucas Havrisik was thinking of getting a part-time job — perhaps as a substitute teacher — while he was living in Cleveland awaiting kicking opportunities from NFL teams earlier this season. He’s now one heck of a substitute kicker. Havrisik has gone 3 of 3 on field-goal attempts in two games with Green Bay while filling in for Brandon McManus, who is dealing with a quadriceps injury. Havrisik set a Packers record by making a 61-yard field goal at Arizona. While McManus’ status for Sunday remains uncertain, the Packers have reason to feel good about their kicking situation whether or not he’s ready to return.

Packers player to watch

Aaron Rodgers’ first matchup with the Packers after winning four MVPs and a Super Bowl title in Green Bay naturally will put a spotlight on QB Jordan Love, the guy who was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft to eventually take over for him. After waiting behind Rodgers for three years, Love has led Green Bay to playoff berths in each of his first two seasons as the Packers’ starting quarterback. He has completed 69.3% of his passes for 1,438 yards with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions this season.

Steelers player to watch

QB Aaron Rodgers. He spent his first 18 seasons in Green Bay, where he won four MVP awards and led the Packers to their fourth Super Bowl title before making way for current Green Bay starter Jordan Love. The 41-year-old Rodgers is hardly playing like someone in his 21st season in the league. He has 14 touchdown passes through six games, putting him on pace to break Pittsburgh’s single-season touchdown pass mark of 34 set by Ben Roethlisberger in 2018.

Key matchup

Steelers LT Broderick Jones against Packers DE Micah Parsons. Jones, in his first season as the full-time left tackle, took a significant step forward in his development a couple of weeks ago when he helped hold Cleveland star Myles Garrett without a sack. The challenge may be even tougher against Parsons, who appears to be finding his groove after being traded to Green Bay from Dallas on the eve of the regular season. Parsons sacked Arizona’s Jacoby Brissett three times last week in the Packers’ comeback victory.

Key injuries

Packers: DT Devonte Wyatt (knee) and K Brandon McManus (quadriceps) have missed two straight games. DE Lukas Van Ness (foot) didn’t play against Arizona. WR Christian Watson is practicing again as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but he still hasn’t made his season debut. WR Jayden Reed (foot/shoulder) will miss a fifth straight game.

Steelers: WR Calvin Austin III is expected to return after missing the past two games with a shoulder injury. S Miles Killebrew, Pittsburgh’s longtime special teams captain, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered in a victory over Cleveland on Oct. 12.

Series notes

The Packers are seeking to win at Pittsburgh for the first time since a 20-12 triumph way back in 1970. The Packers have lost in each of their past six visits to Pittsburgh (in 1980, 1986, 1998, 2009, 2017 and 2023). Green Bay’s road losing streak in this series doesn’t include the Packers’ 31-25 neutral site Super Bowl victory over the Steelers on Feb. 6, 2011, at Arlington, Texas. Rodgers was Green Bay’s quarterback in that game… The previous time these two teams meet, Jaylen Warren rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers won 23-19 in Pittsburgh. Love threw for 289 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in that game… The Steelers have won three of their past four and six of their past eight overall matchups with the Packers.

Stats and stuff

The Packers are unbeaten in their past three games and can strengthen their tenuous hold on first place in the NFC North with a victory. The Steelers are atop the AFC North but are smarting after being lit up by Joe Flacco and Cincinnati in a prime-time loss to the Bengals… Love has a 121.1 passer rating in Sunday night games. The only quarterback who has a better career Sunday night passer rating with at least 100 pass attempts since 2000 is Drew Brees… The Packers are 20-10 against AFC teams during Matt LaFleur’s coaching tenure. The only NFC team with a better record against AFC teams during that stretch is Seattle (21-10)… The Packers are averaging an NFL-leading 5.82 yards per pass attempt. That represents Green Bay’s highest average through the first six games of a season since 2000… The Packers are coming off a six-sack performance at Arizona… RB Josh Jacobs has scored two touchdowns in three straight games. He’s the first Packer to have multiple touchdown runs in three straight games within the same season since Jim Taylor did it in 1961. Jacobs has eight touchdown runs this season to rank second in the NFL entering Week 8 to Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor, who has 10. ... Parsons and Packers DE Rashan Gary each have 5½ sacks this season, putting them in a tie for sixth place in the NFL entering Week 8. The only other teammates who each have at least five sacks this season are Denver’s Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper… According to Next Gen Stats, Parsons has an NFL-leading 41 quarterback pressures entering Week 8… Packers CB Keisean Nixon has 10 passes defensed, putting him in a tie for second in the league to Cincinnati’s D.J. Turner (13)… Packers K Lucas Havrisik kicked the longest field goal in franchise history — a 61-yarder — while filling in for the injured McManus against Arizona. Havrisik is 3 of 3 on field-goal attempts in the two games he has played this season… As bad as the Steelers have been in road games on Thursdays, where they have dropped 10 of 11, they’ve been nearly as good at home on Sunday nights. Pittsburgh is 56-20 at home on Sunday nights, and its .757 winning percentage under the lights is best in the NFL since the AFL-NFL merger… The Steelers have also been solid the week following a Thursday night appearance. Pittsburgh is 19-10 on nine days’ rest, including a pair of home wins against the Packers in 2017 and 2023… Pittsburgh will be wearing throwback jerseys meant to evoke the club’s inaugural team in 1933. The Steelers will don gold helmets and jerseys replete with black stripes and a patch featuring Pittsburgh’s city crest. The Steelers are 24-8 when wearing alternate uniforms since 2007… Rodgers can become the fifth quarterback to beat all 32 NFL teams with a victory, joining Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning… Steelers RB Jaylen Warren is coming off a season-high 127 yards rushing but could find the going more difficult against the NFL’s second-ranked run defense… Longtime Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward will play in his 218th regular-season game, moving past Hines Ward and into third place on the club’s career list behind Ben Roethlisberger (249) and Hall of Fame center Mike Webster (220)… The Packers didn’t commit any turnovers Sunday and have only three all season… The Packers are 5 of 7 in fourth down conversion attempts. They went 2 of 3 in those situations Sunday, and Love’s 15-yard completion to Tucker Kraft on fourth-and-2 from the Arizona 29 led to the go-ahead touchdown… Green Bay sacked Brissett six timesThe Packers didn’t commit any turnovers Sunday and have only three all season… The Packers are 5 of 7 in fourth down conversion attempts. They went 2 of 3 in those situations Sunday, and Love’s 15-yard completion to Tucker Kraft on fourth-and-2 from the Arizona 29 led to the go-ahead touchdown… Green Bay sacked Brissett six timesThe Packers didn’t commit any turnovers Sunday and have only three all season… The Packers are 5 of 7 in fourth down conversion attempts. They went 2 of 3 in those situations Sunday, and Love’s 15-yard completion to Tucker Kraft on fourth-and-2 from the Arizona 29 led to the go-ahead touchdown… Green Bay sacked Brissett six times… The Packers didn’t commit any turnovers Sunday and have only three all season… The Packers are 5 of 7 in fourth down conversion attempts. They went 2 of 3 in those situations Sunday, and Love’s 15-yard completion to Tucker Kraft on fourth-and-2 from the Arizona 29 led to the go-ahead touchdown… Green Bay sacked Brissett six times… The Packers were penalized 10 times for 94 yards. Green Bay is committing 8.3 penalties per game, more than any team other than Denver, Chicago and Jacksonville entering Monday… DE Micah Parsons had a career-high three sacks… RB Josh Jacobs had his third straight two-touchdown performance despite dealing with a calf injury that made him a game-time decision… K Lucas Havrisik set a franchise record with a 61-yard field goal just before halftime… LB Quay Walker had a team-high nine tackles to go along with 1½ sacks. It was his first career game with more than one sack… Guard Sean Rhyan didn’t play any offensive snaps Sunday as 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan continued his takeover of the starting spot at right guard. Rhyan started all 17 games last season and the first four games this season, but Morgan has been the starter at right guard the past two games. Rhyan had played 11 offensive snaps Oct. 12 in a 27-18 win over the Bengals… The Packers have scored exactly 27 points in each of their four wins this season… The Sunday night visit to Pittsburgh caps a five-game stretch in which the Packers are playing four on the road.