Takeaways from Panthers' upset win against Packers: Dowdle, defense roll

The Carolina Panthers rode their defense and rushing attack to a 16-13 upset win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Even with returning quarterback Bryce Young underwhelming in the passing game, the Panthers were still able to match last year’s win total in just nine games, moving to 5-4 on the season with a second consecutive victory on the road.

With Rico Dowdle starting at running back for the first time since Week 6, Carolina’s offense was able to move the ball effectively on the ground, even with a makeshift offensive line missing multiple starters. In a complementary fashion, the defense was able to hold Packers quarterback Jordan Love and the Green Bay offense in check for most of the afternoon.

With a game-winning 49-yard field goal by rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, Dave Canales’ crew is positioned for a playoff push .

Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s win over the Packers:

Ejiro Evero’s defense puts on a stellar showing on the road

Carolina was able to produce an early turnover in the first quarter after cornerback Jaycee Horn forced a fumble on a carry by Packers wide receiver Savion Williams. Safety Nick Scott was able to recover the ball in the red zone and whip a scoring opportunity off the Packers’ plate.

Packers QB Jordan Love completed 11 of 16 passes for 136 yards in the first half. But the Panthers held him out of the end zone and sacked him once. Green Bay produced just 56 rushing yards in the first half. By comparison, Dowdle had 10 more rushing yards than the entire Packers offense through halftime.

The Panthers allowed the Packers to get in scoring territory on the first drive of the third quarter, but Green Bay kicker Brandon McManus missed a 43-yard field goal attempt wide left, giving the Carolina offense great field position to begin the second half.

While the offense couldn’t take advantage of the field position in the third quarter, the defense again delivered on the following series. Safety Tre’von Moehrig fielded a deep throw by Love down the seam and returned the ball into Packers territory. The interception was Moehrig’s first in Carolina, and it set the offense up for its second scoring drive of the game.

Moehrig would later produce a huge third down stop for a loss of five yards as the Packers sniffed the end zone in the fourth quarter. Green Bay was forced to take an early timeout as they contemplated going for it on fourth-and-8 on the Carolina 13-yard line with 11 minutes left in the game. The defense eventually forced the Packers’ offense off the field on fourth down with a throwaway by Love.

The Packers were able to hit pay dirt late in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 13-13 with 2:30 left in the game. Love led a 12-play, 71-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 1-yard run by running back Josh Jacobs, who had a mostly forgettable Week 9 performance.

The Panthers held the Packers to 369 net yards of offense on Sunday.

Love threw for 273 scoreless passing yards and an interception, while Jacobs collected 87 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. Green Bay had just three scoring drives and one touchdown on the afternoon.

Dowdle proves the masses right with his promotion

The Panthers decided to start Dowdle over Hubbard on Sunday against the Packers. Despite some early lowlights in short-yardage situations, Dowdle proved to be the right choice against Green Bay as the game went on.

Dowdle had a 29-yard gain in the second quarter, which ultimately set up the Panthers’ first scoring drive. Dowdle was forced to the sideline after the big run, but he eventually returned to cap the drive with a fourth-and-1 conversion and a 5-yard touchdown run. The rushing score on second and goal made up for a wide open drop in the end zone by McMillan off a throw from Young.

Dowdle finished the first half with 66 rushing yards and a touchdown. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry, despite being stopped at or around the line of scrimmage a handful of times in the first half. Hubbard chipped in six rushing yards on three carries before heading into the tunnel.

The Panthers’ running game continued to lead the charge in the third quarter. Following a pick by the defense, Dowdle and Hubbard tag-teamed the second scoring drive of the game for Carolina. The series was capped by Dowdle’s second touchdown rush of the game.

However, Dowdle received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for an inappropriate gesture following the score, which pushed the extra point attempt back to a 48-yard effort. Fitzgerald, the kicker, then missed the attempt by roughly 10 yards. Still, the Panthers were up by seven points with 2:15 left in the third quarter.

Dowdle kept on pushing up the field for the Panthers, even after the Packers tied the game late. Dowdle’s 19-yard rush, with 40 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, set up what would be the final scoring drive of the game.

He finished the game with 130 rushing yards (5.2 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in his first start since Hubbard returned to the fold in Week 7.

Coming into the game, the Packers were allowing just 78.9 rushing yards per game. They were allowing just 3.73 yards per carry. Dowdle ripped through those averages by himself, while Hubbard chipped in 17 rushing yards on five carries.

It’s pretty safe to say this is Dowdle’s backfield at the moment.

Young doesn’t squander win with underwhelming afternoon

Young had forgettable first half. While he made a pair of impressive throws to Tetairoa McMillan and Xavier Legette, as he spread the ball around to five receivers, Young also had an interception in the end zone in the first quarter, which cost the Panthers points.

Young had the Panthers on the cusp of paydirt when he threw an off-the-mark pass to the end zone. The closest receiver in the area, Legette, was a few yards away from Young’s target, which ended up in the hands of Packers safety Xavier McKinney for an interception. McKinney had sacked and forced a fumble on Young just two plays earlier. Hubbard was able to recover the ball on the fumble, but McKinney was able to get his turnover on the pick in the end zone.

With the turnover, Young likely cost the Panthers at least three points in a three-point game. It ultimately didn’t come back to bite Carolina, though, when it was all said and done.

Luckily for Young, the Panthers’ defense held the Packers’ offense in check for most of the first half. Young was able to fight off that early turnover and lead an impressive 10-play, 76-yard touchdown drive on the next series. He finished the first two quarters with 66 passing yards and an interception on a 60% completion percentage.

Young’s early stats would have looked prettier if McMillan was able to haul in a wide open touchdown throw from the third-year QB on the team’s only first-half scoring drive.

Despite the underwhelming stat line, Young had the Panthers up, 7-6, at halftime in his return from an ankle injury. He did this with starting right tackle Taylor Moton on the sideline. Young also had a fill-in right guard, Jake Curhan, play the bulk of the first half and finish out the game.

Chandler Zavala, who returned from an injured reserve stint with a knee injury, was bounced from the matchup in the first half with an elbow injury.

While the first drive of the third quarter was uneventful, Young was able to take advantage of a big turnover by the defense on the following series. Set up within Packers territory, Young led the Panthers to the cusp of the end zone, with the drive capped by a second touchdown by Dowdle.

With just over two minutes left in the game, Young was forced to lead a game-winning drive with the score tied at 13-13. He delivered with the help of a pair of clutch throws and a big run by Dowdle. He led a game-winning 49-yard field goal drive when it counted the most.

He hit 55% of his passes for 102 yards and an interception on 55% completion percentage. He had a 48.3 passer rating in the win.

Horn is having the best year of his career

Horn, a reigning Pro Bowl selection, is having a remarkable start to the season. He produced his first career forced fumble — shared with linebacker Christian Rozeboom — at Lambeau Field in the first quarter, which is added to his three interceptions on the season.

He also had a key pass breakup on third and six in the end zone against Packers wideout Romeo Doubs at the end the first half. That play forced the Packers to settle for a chip-shot field goal before halftime. The Panthers took a lead to the locker room, at least partially, because of that huge third-down play.

Horn, through nine games, already has tied his career season high with the three picks. He is also playing the run well and making an impact with his coverage beyond the turnovers.

Another trip to the Pro Bowl feels evident. Could an All-Pro nod come his way as well?

The OL attrition is brutal

The Panthers used their seventh starting offensive line combo in nine games on Sunday.

Moton (knee) and center Cade Mays (ankle) didn’t play a snap on offense, and Zavala and Damien Lewis, the starting guards, both missed snaps with injuries. Zavala, who had just returned from IR, was ruled out in the second half with an unrelated elbow injury.

Curhan had to play left and right guard during the first half. He eventually closed out the game with three quarters on the right side. While Moton was available in case of emergency, the only healthy reserve lineman left was Nick Samac, a backup center.

The Panthers will need to keep pushing through this turnstile in the trenches.

The beat-up group did a nice job against Green Bay. Young was only sacked once and the offense produced 163 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. That’s not too shabby for a group that had its fifth right guard working the bulk of the afternoon.

Still, it’s somewhat disheartening to see this many injuries to one unit.

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