San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
PACKERS MANAGE TO HALT CAROLINA
Green Bay’s fast start helped the Packers overcome a shaky second-half performance and remain on pace to earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs.
Aaron Jones rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown as the NFC North champions reached the end zone on their first three series before hanging on to beat the Carolina Panthers 24-16 on Saturday night.
Aaron Rodgers threw for a season-low 143 yards but produced a touchdown pass — his 40th of the season — and a touchdown run for the Packers. Rodgers is the first player in NFL history to throw at least 40 touchdown passes in three separate seasons; he had 45 during his 2011 MVP campaign and 40 in 2016.
Green Bay (11-3) won its fourth straight despite getting outscored 13-3 and outgained 214-49 in the second half. Rodgers called the second half “definitely a stinker for the offense.”
“We just know that type of football in the second half is not going to get it done in the playoffs, where we’re going,” Rodgers said.
Green Bay won its fourth straight and took a half-game lead over New Orleans (10-3) in the race for the NFC’S best record. The Packers own a tiebreaker over the Saints after winning 37-30 at New Orleans on Sept. 27.
Under the NFL’S new 14team
playoff format this year, only the No. 1 seed in each conference earns a firstround bye.
“It’s very critical,” Jones said. “We want everything to run through Lambeau. We know we control what happens.”
The Packers built a 21-3 halftime lead before withstanding a comeback attempt from a gritty Carolina team playing without injured 2019 All-pro running back Christian Mccaffrey and left tackle Russell Okung.
Carolina had a chance to force overtime when it got the ball at its 20-yard line with 55 seconds and no timeouts remaining. But the Panthers only got to the 26 before losing the ball on downs.
The Panthers (4-10) have lost eight of their last nine.
Carolina’s Teddy Bridgewater was 21 of 35 for 258 yards with a touchdown run, but he also had a critical fumble. D.J. Moore caught six passes for 131 yards, and Joey Slye kicked three field goals.
Rodgers capped Green Bay’s first series with a 1-yard pass to tight end Robert Tonyan, who has scored in five consecutive games. After Carolina cut the lead to 7-3 on Slye’s 36-yard field goal, Green Bay reached the end zone again as Rodgers ran it in on third-and-goal from the 6.