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 The Packers (5-2), winners of four in a row, scored the first 28
points and crushed the Panthers 38-17 on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
"We have a lot of respect for (Panthers coach) Ron Rivera and the
program he's built there and what they have as a football team,"
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We looked at this as a big
challenge today. You've got to grow with every opportunity and we
did that today, not only in the win column but what we were trying
to accomplish."
For the second consecutive home game, Packers quarterback Aaron
Rodgers got to enjoy the end of the game from the bench. In three
quarters, he completed 19 of 22 passes for 255 yards and three
touchdowns, with his passer rating of 154.5 falling just short of
the NFL's measure of perfection, 158.3.
Wide receiver Randall Cobb had six catches for 121 yards and a
touchdown, and wide receiver Jordy Nelson had four catches for 80
yards and a touchdown -- all in the first quarter.
"We're starting fast," Rodgers said. "We had 21 first-quarter
points, so we made them pretty one-dimensional, which we wanted to
do, especially with the way (Panthers quarterback) Cam (Newton) ran
the ball last week."
Starting fast is an understatement. Green Bay was off and rolling on
Rodgers' 59-yard touchdown pass to Nelson, with running backs Eddie
Lacy and James Starks adding rushing touchdowns as the Packers led
21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
All of the scores were attained easily against what was one of the
top defenses in the league last season. On the first score, Nelson
beat cornerback Antoine Cason on a deep pass, then made veteran
safety Roman Harper look foolish on a cutback at about the 30. On
the second touchdown, Lacy stutter-stepped in the hole, then waltzed
into the end zone around right end. On the third, Starks started
right and then cut back left, where he wasn't touched until he
plowed through two defensive backs near the goal line.
The Packers extended the lead to 28-0 with a 94-yard drive in the
second quarter. Cobb's 47-yard catch and run set up his 3-yard
touchdown -- his eighth of the season.
Rodgers was 15 of 17 for 194 yards and two touchdowns at halftime as
Green Bay piled up 271 yards. Carolina (3-3-1) had 113 first-half
yards, with Newton's 32-yard completion to receiver Kelvin Benjamin
setting up a field goal on the final play of the half that made it
28-3.
"We just got outplayed in every phase of the game," Newton said. "We
need to start fast on offense. Two three-and-outs (to start the
game) is unacceptable."
The Packers tacked on another touchdown in the third quarter, with
Rodgers hitting wide receiver Davante Adams for a 21-yard score one
play after a 33-yard catch-and-run by Cobb converted a third-and-6.
It was a disheartening performance from a defensive unit that was
the heart and soul of last year's NFC South championship squad. Last
year's defense finished in the top five in almost every meaningful
category. This year's defense has allowed at least 35 points in four
of the last five games.
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"They should be (good enough)," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said of
the defense. "We have six out of seven guys back from our front. We
have a couple of veteran safeties that I think are capable, and you
would like to believe that our corners can do the job. We will find
out. I don't think the defense gave us an opportunity to win in the
first quarter, and I am disappointed."
Carolina's star linebacker, Luke Kuechly, was ejected late in the
third quarter. After a fumble, Kucehly was pulled off the pile by
Packers tight end Richard Rodgers. One of the officials tried to
restrain Kuechly by grabbing his arm, with Kuechly -- perhaps
thinking he was being grabbed by one of the Packers -- forcefully
pulling his arm away from the official.
Carolina scored its first touchdown with 9:39 remaining in the game,
when Newton hit Benjamin from 13 yards. Tight end Greg Olsen had a
big game, with eight catches for 105 yards.
Newton was replaced by Derek Anderson midway through the fourth
quarter, and Anderson led the Panthers to a late score. After Newton
threw for 284 yards and rushed for 107 last week against the
Bengals, he threw for 205 and rushed for 41 against Green Bay.
Besides winning four in a row overall, the Packers have won 10 in a
row in October.
NOTES: Green Bay held a 172-5 edge in yardage after the first
quarter. ... With an incompletion in the second quarter, Packers QB
Aaron Rodgers extended his streak to 182 consecutive passes without
an interception, the longest streak of his career and second longest
in franchise history (Bart Starr, 294). ... The Panthers were
without four starters, including standout RB DeAngelo Williams and
LB Chase Blackburn. Without Blackburn, A.J. Klein -- who grew up
about a half-hour from Lambeau Field in Kimberly -- got the start.
When G Trai Turner sustained a knee injury, the Panthers were
without both of their starting guards, with Amini Silatolu (calf)
among the inactives. A third starting lineman, LT Byron Bell,
sustained an elbow injury in the third quarter. ... The Packers were
without two starters, CB Sam Shields and DE Datone Jones. Davon
House, who replaced Shields, sustained an injured finger in the
fourth quarter. ... Before the game, Packers TE Richard Rodgers Jr.
played catch with his father, Carolina special teams coordinator
Richard Rodgers Sr.
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