GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Carolina Panthers entered Thursday night’s game at the Green Bay Packers ranked fifth in total offense and sixth in scoring. Quarterback Bryce Young, running back Chuba Hubbard and receiver Tetairoa McMillan gave them a quality trio of playmakers.

But not against Jonathan Gannon.

The Packers beat the Panthers 27-19 at Lambeau Field. Gannon’s defense was instrumental, highlighted by six sacks coming from six individuals.

“Yeah, that’s great. It was great,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “It was just the relentless pressure. I thought our guys did a great job up front. I think some of the looks that we’re giving them, the opposition, Carolina, are very difficult. We do a lot of different things off of it. So, I think that’s a big-time credit to our defensive staff.”

Then came the money line about Gannon, who he hired in the offseason.

“JG, he likes to use this word a lot. I think he’s a savant. But he does a great job putting those guys in position. But it doesn’t mean anything if they can’t go execute it. So, just the ability for our guys – we’ve got a lot of smart players out there – to go out and be able to do all that, that’s a big-time credit to our players.”

Winning Game Plan by Jonathan Gannon

Gannon on a short week put together a game plan that limited the Panthers to two touchdowns, 258 yards, 3.7 yards per play and 5-of-18 on third down.

“I think every time we get to third down, we just trying to get off the field,” Xavier McKinney said. “Even in the huddle, we like, ‘Ay, we need to get off the field right here.’ I thought the play calling was good. Especially on third downs, I thought it was really good. I thought we were pretty much in the right call every time.

“And guys went out there executed. The rush was getting there, so didn’t have a whole bunch of time, so just collectively everybody did what they were supposed to do.”

Young, who the Packers spoke highly of all week, was 23-of-41 passing for 209 yards. McMillan, who ranked in the top 15 in catches and receptions even while playing one fewer game than most receivers, caught only 6-of-11 targets for 58 yards. Young’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker late in the game was the only reception of 20-plus yards allowed.

Young was just 1-of-6 on passes thrown 10-plus yards downfield.

“They executed better,” Young said. “A lot of that stuff was on film, but they do a really good job of disguising. They are a good defense, and we have a lot of respect for them. They were better than us today for sure. They deserved that win. We should have been better. You have to execute better. That’s all it is.”

Defense Cleans Up Mistakes by Offense

The mistake-plagued Packers did their best to help keep things interesting. Coleman Owen fumbled the opening kickoff return, handing the Panthers the ball at Green Bay’s 29, but Gannon’s defense held them to only a field goal following Devonte Wyatt’s third-down sack. Early in the second quarter, Christian Watson fumbled, giving the ball to the Panthers at their 37, but they went three-and-out.

That was one of four consecutive series in which they failed to pick up a first down and gained a total of 10 yards.

“I feel like that’s the hallmark of a good defense,” safety Evan Williams said. “You got to be ready at any time. Can’t rely on anybody to help you out. It’s a plus, it’s a cherry on top if the offense is doing their thing and going hard, but our standard is keep them out of field-goal range, keep them out of that half of the field, as a whole. You got to be ready for anything in this league. Anything can happen at any time. I feel like guys responded well.”

Williams and Isaiah McDuffie had 10 tackles apiece and Wyatt, linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and edge players Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Brenton Cox all had sacks.

Breakout Performance

Hopper stole the show. Making his second start for injured team captain Zaire Franklin, Hopper piled up eight tackles, one interception and three passes defensed. He was the first Packers defender since Charles Woodson in 2009 with at least one sack, one interception and three PBUs in a game.

After the Packers took a 13-10 lead in the second quarter, Hopper deflected and intercepted Young to set up a touchdown that extended the lead to 20-10.

“I was just able to get my hands up,” Hopper said. “We knew he was a shorter guy, so they talked about getting your hands up throughout the week. And I was able to do that and get my hands on the ball.”

After the Panthers pulled within 27-19 with 5:37 remaining in the game, Green Bay’s offense had a feeble three-and-out that took barely 1 minute off the clock.

Carolina, which had trailed by 17 points early in the third quarter, suddenly had a shot to at least take the game to overtime. Instead, Gannon’s defense thwarted four consecutive plays, including a six-man pressure on fourth-and-5 that forced Young’s errant pass to McMillan, who was covered by Javon Bullard.

“I think we did our job,” Bullard said. “You know, it ain't always gonna be perfect. We definitely got some things we need to clean up but, at the same time, walked out of here with a ‘W’ against a good team, and that's always our goal at the end of the night. You know, it ain't going to always be pretty, but you get a job done. That's all that matters.”

The Packers produced two takeaways; they’ve had at least two in five consecutive games. Their 15 takeaways through eight games are one more than they had all of last season.

While the defense was making big plays, it wasn’t allowing any. Entering the game, Carolina was seventh with 23 completions of 20-plus yards. The Packers, as noted above, allowed one.

“I just like the aggressive style,” LaFleur said. “They put a lot of pressure on offenses. We knew going into this, I think Carolina led the league in most explosive passes in the league, and they just didn’t allow that to even kind of happen.”

From the Packers' victory over the Panthers, here is @JacobWestendorf's list of Winners and Losers. ⬇️https://t.co/Kyja8D2Sdd

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 30, 2026