The Packers loss against the Lions on Sunday was painful for a number of reasons. Lets get that out of the way first. The refs were a disaster. The Packers had a better shot at winning that game if not for some truly terrible calls. It’s been an epidemic for this team all season and the numbers bear it out.

You don’t even need advanced numbers like this to know it though. No QB has been hit more than Jordan Love this year, and he has not drawn a single roughing the passer call. Not one.

That being said, the Packers had their chances. Don’t miss kicks, don’t drop touchdown passes, STOP CALLING ZONE RUNS ON FIRST DOWN FOR A LOSS OF 2. The point being, the Packers are not getting good calls. They are not even getting fair calls. So they can’t afford to be sloppy.

The Panthers are a very beatable team, but that was the thought last year, and the Packers lost the game and Tucker Kraft. What needs to happen for Green Bay to pick up the win?

The Packers Offense

I alluded to this above, but Matt LaFleur needs to accept reality. This team cannot run the ball. It doesn’t matter if its Pierre Strong, Marshawn Lloyd or the recently returned Josh Jacobs. Too many drives are starting with two yard runs (often in the wrong direction). Despite a league leading drops, no run game, and a bottom five offensive line in the league, Jordan Love is second in passing yardage. Go full air raid, and stop throwing away early downs banging your head on the wall.

What Green Bay should do is start looking at the short pass game as a run substitute. Get the ball to Jacobs through the air, get Tucker Kraft more involved. The quick game serves not inly as a run replacement, but also keeps the defense from committing to much to the deep passing attack that the Packers excel in.

Finally, the Travis Glover experiment was a fun story for a few weeks, but its time to put Kevin Zeitler into the line. I understand the reluctance to shake things up given how important continuity is to an offensive line. If the continuity is just continuous bad play however, then a change becomes necessary. The Packers gave Zeitler real money, now its time to see if its worth it.

The Packers Defense

Before anything else, its once again worth saying that under the circumstances Jonathan Gannon has done as well as anybody could have hoped for. The Packers held the Lions to their lowest point total all season on Sunday. This is without Parsons and without Cooper. The Panthers are not the Lions, so there should be no reason they can’t repeat the performance.

The Panthers have lost both of their starting tackles, most recently right tackle Taylor Moton for the season. Lukas Van Ness felt invisible in the Lions game and that can’t happen this week. Additionally this feels like the week for a potential DDS breakout game after showing real flashes the previous few weeks.

Bryce Young started off the season on a hot streak, but has come back to Earth a bit the last two weeks, barely completing 50% off his passes. I expect Gannon to bring pressure often and early to hopefully continue that trend.

Special Teams

The kicking circus never ends. Just make your kicks Smack, for the love of god just please make your kicks. I think Green Bay is making the right call sticking with him for now, but he can’t afford another performance like the Lions game.

Final Prediction

The Packers overlooked this team last year, and I don’t think that happens again. I think Green Bay scores early and keeps the Panthers in a pass heavy script that the Packers secondary takes advantage of. Also look out for the Tucker Kraft revenge game.

Packers 28 – Panthers 14