Perhaps you’ve heard that Aaron Rodgers is returning this weekend to face the Carolina Panthers in Bank of America Stadium; a game that is an absolute must-win for the Packers has all the looks of a must-win for the Panthers as well even as they sit two games ahead of Green Bay in the playoff race. A conference full of nine-win teams means that no one is a lock for the playoffs without winning every week, and the Panthers will look to continue their winning ways of the past six weeks, in which they’ve won five games and rushed for over 200 yards in three of those contests.
An offensive breakdown of each team statistically:
| Panthers | Statistic | Packers |
|---|---|---|
| 329.9 | Yards/Game | 308.6 |
| 5.12 | Yards/Play | 4.99 |
| 134.5 | Rushing Yards/Game | 106.8 |
| 4.41 | Rushing Yards/Play | 4.39 |
| 195.4 | Passing Yards/Game | 201.8 |
| 6.2 | Passing Yards/Play | 5.9 |
| 2.93% | Interception Rate | 2.47% |
| 7.32% | Sacks/Pass Attempt | 9.66% |
| 19.7 | First Downs/Game | 19.5 |
| 8.2 | Punt Return Average | 10.5 |
| 20.6 | Kickoff Return Average | 23.3 |
| 96.00% | Field Goal Percentage | 76.47% |
| 42.86% | Third Down Percentage | 41.52% |
| 33.33% | Fourth Down Percentage | 63.16% |
| 56.10% | Red Zone Percentage | 64.86% |
| 71.43% | Goal To Go Percentage | 78.26% |
| 32:50 | Average Time Of Possession | 28:47 |
| 23.1 | Points/Game | 21.9 |
And now, here’s how the teams stack up defensively:
| Panthers | Statistic | Packers |
|---|---|---|
| 302.1 | Yards/Game | 354.1 |
| 5.19 | Yards/Play | 5.55 |
| 89.5 | Rushing Yards/Game | 113.8 |
| 4.1 | Rushing Yards/Play | 4 |
| 212.6 | Passing Yards/Game | 240.3 |
| 6.38 | Passing Yards/Play | 7.3 |
| 1.62% | Interception Rate | 2.57% |
| 9.24% | Sacks/Pass Attempt | 7.24% |
| 16.8 | First Downs/Game | 20.7 |
| 6 | Punt Return Average | 4.9 |
| 21.9 | Kickoff Return Average | 22.9 |
| 36.90% | Third Down Percentage | 44.38% |
| 29.41% | Fourth Down Percentage | 80.00% |
| 58.06% | Red Zone Percentage | 68.57% |
| 64.71% | Goal To Go Percentage | 80.00% |
| 20.2 | Points/Game | 23.2 |
Some Fun Facts
- Cam Newton averages 311.3 passing yards/game vs. the Packers and has passed for five touchdowns, five interceptions and rushed for two scores in three career games.
- Panthers assistant defensive backs coach Richard Rodgers, Sr is the father of Packers tight end Richard Rodgers. Panthers safety Jairus Byrd is Rodgers’ cousin.
- Cornerback Ladarius Gunter spent all of training camp and preseason, as well as 2015-2017, with the Packers. Gunter has only been active for three games this season.
- The Packers are currently one game behind Atlanta for the final wild-card playoff berth; Mike McCarthy has guided the Packers to the playoffs for eight straight seasons.
- Jonathan Stewart has averaged 5.01 yards per carry (80.8 rush yards per game) and 11 of his career 100-yard rushing games have come in December and January.
- Heading into their Week 6 matchup with Philadelphia, Carolina ranked 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards per game. They’re currently fifth.
- Christian McCaffrey is the franchise record-holder for most receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by a running back in a single season
- Since entering the league 312 of Cam Newton’s 789 rushing attempts have gone for first downs. That’s tops in the league during that stretch for any player with 400 or more attempts.
- Fourteen different Panthers have caught a pass this year, the most since 2000.
- The top three Panthers all-time in forced fumbles are currently on the roster.
- Mario Addison has recorded 17.5 sacks in his last 20 games dating back to last season.
- Since 2014, the Green Bay Packers have won 12 of it’s 14 games in December, including six straight.
Josh Klein is Editor-In-Chief of The Riot Report. His favorite Panther of all time is Chad Cota and he once AIM chatted with Kevin Greene. Follow Josh on Twitter @joshkleinrules.