C.D. Angeli (@TundraVision): It’s been a great week following a great win. The Packers are going to be heading into this game likely without their starting corners, and while House and Hayward are up to the task, any time you’re putting Jarrett Bush out there in the nickel, you’re playing with fire. While Rodgers continues to play en fuego, the running game has been muted all season long, and that’s going to catch up to you one of these days. I think a solid Panther defense is going to be a change for the Packer offense, which is going to be slowed down just enough with some 3-and-outs to keep the Panthers offense on the field, picking on the young corners and the middle of the field. Don’t like to be “that guy”, but I think the Packers are going to struggle at home and the Panthers just might pull out the game with a big play on special teams or a defensive touchdown.
Panthers 28 Packers 27
Jacob Westendorf (@JacobWestendorf):
John Rehor (@jrehor): The big news this week out of Green Bay is that starting CB Sam Shields is out, and fellow starting CB Tramon Williams will be a game time decision. The good thing is the Packers don’t need either of them. Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin is questionable to play. He is their WR corp. QB Cam Newton is also hurt, playing like a shell of himself. If neither of these guys can make a difference, the Panthers offense is going to struggle. Their defense knows about struggles, giving up an average of 392 yards per game so far in 2014. Now they are strolling into Lambeau Field to take on a Packers offense which has been clicking the past three weeks. This game could get ugly. It should get ugly. That’s a good thing for the Packers and their fans.
Packers 37 Panthers 21
Kelly Hodgson (@ceallaigh_k): Hopefully the Packers are ready for another version of a mobile quarterback. That said, I’ve seen some ugly losses even at home to mobile quarterbacks. Don’t underestimate Cam Newton, dubious receivers notwithstanding. He can light it up, and the last thing I want is his smug little self mugging it up in Lambeau. I’m not worried about the offense at all. Rodgers and company know what to do at home, and tend to be successful. But they need to score early before that dreaded stagnant plateau returns for the middle of the game. I know it has no bearin, but the Packers tend to win on Throwback Weekend. Yet it is the defense that needs to have a good game this weekend. At the end of the day, the Pack will be 4-0 for Throwback Weekend. Packers 28, Panthers 21.
Matt Bove (@RAYROBERT9): Cam Newton will be a big matchup problem, but he cannot do it alone. He just does not have enough help twin on the road in Green Bay. Their secondary will have big problems dealing with Aaron Rodgers.Newton does not have the receivers capable of taking advantage of Green Bay’s secondary issues.
Packers 34 Panthers 21
Richard Chang (@RichardMChang): C’mon everybody, it’s throwback weekend! What’s with all the doubters? DOUBTERS! Everybody is justly concerned about the prospect of Cam Newton running up and down on the Packers like Jim Brown, and racking up cheap passing yards since the Packers are preparing to play without their two starting corners. But I think the loss of Shields & Williams, coupled with the stress of the Panthers rush attack will force Dom to adjust (gulp) and play a lot of cover 4. Why? 1) it’s the ultimate bend-don’t-break, which we know Dom loves. 2) it takes the zone-read responsibility out of Clay Matthews hands (something we’ve seen he can’t handle) and puts it in the secondary’s. This means we should see a lot of Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix (or Jarrett Bush, yikes) and it will either totally perplex Cam Newton, or fail at a spectacular level. I see no in between. I’m hoping it works, but even if Cam and whoever he hands the ball of to these days runs for 10,000 yards, I think the defense will keep them out of the end zone. They’re jacked. Rodgers won’t disappoint at home. He knows everybody has paid a fortune to visit Green Bay this weekend. Seven points is a lot for a team to cover considering the potentially disastrous mismatch of Cam and our front seven. But I bet the Packers play it right and improve their #throwbackweekend record to 4-0.
Packers 30, Panthers 19.
Ross Uglem (@RossUglem): I just don’t see how Green Bay loses this game. They basically never lose home games When Rodgers starts at QB and this Carolina team isn’t gonna be the one to do it. They let an AJ Green-less Cincinatti offense led by Andy Dalton hang 37 points on them. What are they going to be able to do against Aaron Rodgers. This Panthers team will have the weakest group of wide receivers that the Packers will face this season, so it is probably OK that they (possibly) be without their starting cornerback tandem. If the Packers can key on Newton like they did on Kaepernick in 13 they’ll be fine. Part of me believes that the Packers were completely unprepared for the Dolphins to run Ryan Tannehill. In the other 4 games, Tannehill ran the ball 13 total times. The Packers know Cam Newton is coming, and I think they’ll be ready.
Packers 38 Carolina 17
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John Rehor is a writer at PackersTalk.com.
He can also be heard as one of the Co-Hosts of Cheesehead Radio. ---------------------
