Carolina Panthers vs. Green Bay Packers injury report and scouting report for Week 15
It’s been three years since then-Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and then-Packers linebacker Clay Matthews had their famous back-and-forth in Week 15 of the 2017 season.
Matthews recognized a formation the Panthers were running, and alerted to his teammates the play he thought they’d run.
“It’s that wheel route! It’s that wheel route!” he called out.
Newton pointed at Matthews just before starting the play and responded, ‘Oh you’ve been watching film too, huh? That’s cool, watch this.”
Ryan Kahlil snapped the ball to Newton, and Christian McCaffrey ran a crossing route instead. Newton then passed it to McCaffrey for a 7-yard touchdown.
3 years ago today: Clay Matthews thought he knew what the #Panthers were calling. Cam Newton had other ideas.
Clay: It's that wheel route, it's that wheel route
Cam: You been watching film, huh? That's cool, watch this.
Cam: Texas route to CMC for a TDpic.twitter.com/PZcfiayC7T— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) December 17, 2020
That season, the Panthers were on their way to making the playoffs, while the Packers were not.
This season, the roles are reversed. The Panthers (4-9) have struggled, and haven’t won since a 20-0 beating the Detroit Lions 20-0 in Week 11.
The Packers (10-3) have the best record in the NFC, and will host the Panthers for the second consecutive season. It will likely be the Panthers’ toughest matchup in their remaining three games.
Here is what you need to know:
When the Panthers have the ball...
The Panthers have struggled at times this season without McCaffrey, who has missed 10 games and will likely miss his 11th on Saturday.
But without wide receiver DJ Moore last week who was on the COVID/reserve list, their offense was stagnant in the first half.
This week, they’ll get Moore back. He’s been their best deep threat this season and perhaps quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will have a better game, after passing for 283 yards on 40 pass attempts and no touchdowns against the Denver Broncos.
But the Packers rank among the better teams against the pass. They allow 226 yards passing per game, which is ranked 12th in the NFL. By comparison, the Panthers allow 250 yards passing per game, which is 23rd in the league.
The Panthers’ best weapons are their three receivers — Moore, Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel. And establishing the run will be key to opening things up for the passing game.
But establishing the running game is something the Panthers have not done recently.
Running back Mike Davis, who has filled in for McCaffrey while he’s been out, hasn’t rushed for more than 66 yards since the Panthers’ Week 5 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Packers allow 109.7 yards rushing per game, which is 11th in the league.
Linebacker Za’Darius Smith has been a beast for the Packers and he’s a player to watch for. He has 10.5 sacks this season and three forced fumbles.
The Panthers will need to keep him away from Bridgewater.
Advantage: Packers
When the Packers have the ball...
When asked about Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, defensive coordinator Phil Snow laughed, perhaps at the absurdity of the level he is playing at in Year 16.
Rodgers, 37, is having one of the best seasons of his career, and is a leading contender for the NFL’s MVP award. He’s passed for 3,685 yards, 39 touchdowns and four interceptions through 13 games this season.
“You watch Aaron play and the game looks so slow to him now,” Snow said. “He looks like he’s playing a park.”
It’ll be a tough matchup for the Panthers, who started the year as one of the best teams against the pass, but have since slipped as they’ve faced top tier quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and others.
They gave up four touchdowns to Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock.
The Packers have the second-best offense in the NFL, trailing only Kansas City. Their rushing attack has also been good. Led by Aaron Jones, who is on pace for a 1,000-yard season, the Packers average 123.8 yards rushing per game.
The Panthers have improved against the run since the first few weeks of the season when they gave up seven rushing touchdowns in the first three games. They have allowed 113.6 yards rushing per game, which is 13th in the league.
Advantage: Packers
When they kick...
Coach Matt Rhule says he’s confident in kicker Joey Slye, but he hasn’t been good in late-game situations. He missed a 54-yard game-winning field goal attempt in Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings. Over the past two seasons, Slye has made 15 of 22 (68.1%) field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter.
He was 2-for-2 last week, but his longest attempt was from 35 yards out.
Green Bay’s Mason Crosby is 15-for-15 on field-goal attempts this season and has made three from 50 yards or longer.
Advantage: Packers
Panthers-Packers prediction
Though the Panthers seem to be at a significant disadvantage without McCaffrey, I don’t they’ll get blown out this week. But I do believe they’ll lose. The Packers have too many weapons on offense, and their defense is solid, too. I won’t be surprised if they represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this year. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t turned it over much this season. Unless the Panthers can come up with a turnover or two, possibly from Brian Burns or Jeremy Chinn, they don’t have much of a chance.
Prediction: Packers 31, Panthers 17
Injury report
PANTHERS: RB Christian McCaffrey (thigh) DOUBTFUL, LT Russell Okung (calf) QUESTIONABLE, S Tre Boston (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE, LG Dennis Daley (concussion) DOUBTFUL, DE Austin Larkin (shoulder) QUESTIONABLE, WR Curtis Samuel (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE, DE Efe Obada (knee) QUESTIONABLE.
PACKERS: G Simon Stepaniak (knee) OUT, TE Jace Sternberger (concussion) OUT, WR Malik Taylor (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE.
Panthers at Packers
When: 8:15 p.m., Saturday
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Watch: NFL Network
