Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes as the Green Bay Packers held off a late Carolina comeback to beat the Panthers 27-19 on Thursday.
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The Green Bay Packers defeated the Carolina Panthers 27-19 on Thursday night, with Jordan Love throwing three touchdown passes and Josh Jacobs scoring twice in the win.
Love finished 30 of 41 for 288 yards and also threw an interception. His touchdown passes went to Tucker Kraft, Matthew Golden and Jacobs.
Carolina rallied after trailing 27-10 in the third quarter, cutting Green Bay’s lead to 27-19 on Bryce Young’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker on a fourth-and-3 play with 5:37 remaining. Young’s subsequent 2-point conversion pass was incomplete.
The Panthers then lost possession on downs at midfield with 2:41 left. Carolina got one last chance from its own 20 with 22 seconds and no timeouts remaining, but Dani Dennis-Sutton’s sack effectively ended the comeback.
Young went 23 of 31 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Chuba Hubbard, who is from Sherwood Park, Alta., had 22 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, along with seven catches for 38 yards.
Green Bay scored touchdowns on three of its next four possessions after an opening fumble on the kickoff led to a Carolina field goal and a Packers three-and-out on their first series. Love’s scoring passes included a 12-yard touchdown to Kraft on third-and-8 that made it 6-3.
Watson returned after hurting his chest on a 53-yard catch in the second quarter, which helped set up a Jacobs touchdown run that put Green Bay ahead 13-10 early in the second quarter. Golden then made it 20-10 with a 24-yard catch in the left corner of the end zone on third-and-13.
After Carolina started the second half with possession, Chris McClellan and Evan Williams stopped Hubbard a yard short on fourth-and-2 from midfield. On Green Bay’s ensuing drive, Love connected with Jacobs to extend the lead to 27-10.
Early in the fourth quarter, with Green Bay leading 27-13 and the ball at Carolina’s 28, Love threw a pass to Golden that Zakee Wheatley intercepted in the end zone, sparking Carolina’s comeback attempt.
The Panthers faced additional setbacks on turnovers and injuries. Green Bay’s Christian Watson returned to the game after being hurt, while Carolina cornerback Will Lee left with a hamstring injury after diving for a tackle and was carted into the locker room.
In the matchup, Carolina had three other cornerbacks already on injured reserve: Akayleb Evans (triceps/knee), Mike Jackson (groin) and Jaycee Horn (quadriceps). Panthers also lost offensive lineman Corey Bullock to a quadriceps injury in the second half, while Packers tight end Josh Whyle was evaluated for a concussion in the first half.
Beyond the game, several members of the Milwaukee Brewers, including team captain Christian Yelich and Cy Young Award favourite Jacob Misiorowski, received a large ovation as they arrived at Lambeau Field one night after winning the first World Series title in franchise history. Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff held up the Commissioner’s Trophy during a timeout before the second quarter, and Packers receiver Christian Watson’s 53-yard catch and the rest of the game capped the night’s ceremonies.
The Packers also honoured former president/CEO Bob Harlan during halftime, with his name unveiled on Lambeau Field’s northeast façade alongside that of former Packers general manager Ted Thompson. Harlan, who served as the Packers’ president/CEO from 1989-2008, died March 5 at the age of 89.
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