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Panthers know Pack struggling
Both teams are coming off ugly losses last Sunday
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Published: November 30, 2008
The Carolina Panthers talked about a "reality check" after last week's 45-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
One reality is that the Panthers have lost their grip on the NFC South going into a difficult stretch run that will continue today with a game at Green Bay.
Another is that they haven't put together a solid all-around game this month.
Those facts aren't lost on defensive tackle Damione Lewis, who said it took the humbling loss at Atlanta to bring the big picture into focus.
"It's do or die this week," Lewis said before the team flew to Green Bay. "We're sitting here at 8-3, and it's do or die. It's a strong division this year, and we understand that 10 wins will probably not get you into the playoffs. We have to go out and try to win every game.
"That's the way it's always been, but you just kind of lose sight of that as you get into the grind of the season. You're just pushing one week at a time. But I think the guys came back refocused this week, and we understand what we're going against and what we're trying to get done."
The Panthers share the NFC South lead with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Bucs have the tie-breaker advantage right now. Three teams are one game behind the Panthers in the wild-card race.
The Packers (5-6) dropped out of a three-way tie for first in the NFC North after a 51-29 loss at New Orleans, so they'll have a similar sense of urgency today at Lambeau Field.
"It's two teams coming off some pretty bad losses, two teams that really need a win," quarterback Jake Delhomme of the Panthers said. "It's two teams that certainly feel embarrassed by the way they played and are looking forward to going out and playing better."
The Panthers have stressed the importance of a faster start. They fell behind 17-0 last week as Atlanta scored on its first three possessions, and they didn't get a first down until the second quarter. The Panthers fell behind winless Detroit 10-0 the previous week before rallying for a 31-22 win.
"The biggest thing is our start," Lewis said. "We've got to get out of the gates. We haven't done that in a while. Why that has happened, that's the million-dollar question. If I knew that answer, we wouldn't have started slow. But I think we changed some things in practice this week, started practicing at a faster tempo, to get things corrected. We're doing to try to do everything in our power to get that changed."
The Panthers' defense will particularly be on the spot, after the Falcons ran for five touchdowns and piled up 408 yards in total offense.
The Packers' offense ranks fifth in the NFL in scoring, averaging 27.5, and has averaged 31 points in its last three games.
It's a balanced offense. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has completed 63.5 percent of his passes and has averaged 236.2 yards passing, with 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He ranks 10th in the NFL in passing efficiency.
Receivers Greg Jennings (56 catches) and Donald Driver (49 catches) have combined for 1,581 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Running back Ryan Grant is 11th in the league in rushing with 883 yards, and he ran for 145 yards on 25 carries in the Packers' 37-3 win over Chicago two weeks ago.
"One thing about them, they're not one dimensional," Lewis said. "They have great receivers, they have a great quarterback, and they have a great running back. We've been playing a lot of good running backs here lately, and you really have to home in on getting them to the ground. You can't just go in and give shoulder shots. We've got to get out there and make sure we get the guy on the ground and get back to playing sound defense."
The Panthers had their passing game working last week -- Delhomme completed 21 of 35 for 295 yards -- and they'll try to build on that today. The Saints' Drew Brees torched Green Bay's secondary for 318 yards and four touchdowns on Monday night, completing 20 of 27 passes.
But the Packers rank second in the NFL with 17 interceptions, and Delhomme considers the secondary, with cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson and Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins, to be among the best in the league.
"They've been outstanding," Delhomme said. "They're playmakers. Woodson and Harris, they really attack the ball. Monday night, they just had some missed assignments and let some guys run free. They've had some injuries up front, but they are a good defense. So we'll have to be up for the challenge. A lot of it is going to be us, though.
"How do we respond?"
■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.
Game day
■ Teams: Panthers at Packers
■ Time: 1 p.m.
■ TV/radio: WGHP Ch. 10 (Fox); WIFM 100.9, WZTK 101.1
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