Panthers rally falls short, run out of time in loss to Packers
Posted December 21, 2023 12:30 p.m. EST
Updated December 25, 2023 11:55 a.m. EST
| Green Bay Packers | 33 |
| Carolina Panthers | 30 |
| Final | |
After a walk-off field goal to win the game last week, the Carolina Panthers were on their way to another clutch kick to send it to overtime.
But the clock expired first.
Bryce Young and the offense took over with just 19 seconds on the clock after a late Anders Carlson field goal. Young completed a pass to get into scoring range, but the ensuing spike hit the ground with zeroes on the clock as the Panthers fell 33-30 to the Green Bay Packers.
"I'm disappointed," said interim head coach Chris Tabor, who added that he thought the Panthers should have had one more second on the clock after the late spike. "I'm disappointed for those guys in that [locker] room. They laid everything out on the line right there... I mean, you don't like to lose and we lost so it hurts."
It was a career day for Young, who completed 23 of 35 passes for two touchdowns and notched his first 300-yard passing game as a pro.
"I think it's as good as we've looked as a unit," said the rookie quarterback. "Ultimately, it wasn't enough so we've got to get better but it's a good place for us to build from as a unit."
Young also seemed to establish a strong connection with veteran receiver DJ Chark, especially during a late-game rally to overcome a 14-point deficit.
Chark converted a key 3rd & 12 to extend a desperation drive in the middle of the fourth quarter. Then, on the very next play, Chark got open for an 11-yard touchdown over the middle, his first since Week 9.
The Panthers went for two and got called for a hold, then saw Eddy Pineiro miss his second extra point of the game, which kept it an 8-point game.
After the Carolina defense forced a three-and-out, the Young-to-Chark connection continued to produce.
Another 20-yard chunk play got the Panthers right back into scoring range thanks to an unnecessary roughness call against Green Bay (their third personal foul penalty of the day).
One minute later, Young looked for Chark again in the end zone, this time for a spectacular diving play that brought the Panthers within two points.
On their must-have two-point conversion attempt, the Panthers drew up a run to third string back Raheem Blackshear, who found the end zone to tie the game.
The Panthers very nearly got another stop on the ensuing Packers drive, but a huge play on third down flipped the field and quite possibly the outcome of the game.
Facing a 3rd & 4, Jordan Love looked deep to Romeo Doubs, who made a great 36-yard catch over Troy Hill Jr.
The Panthers challenged the play because Doubs appeared to bobble the ball a bit while on the ground. However, after review, the catch was upheld and the Packers were awarded a first down in field goal range.
The lost timeout on the challenge loomed large for the Panthers as Green Bay ran the clock down inside of one minute before Carlson's chip shot go-ahead field goal.
In all, the Packers scored on six of their nine completed drives and gained 369 total yards. Aaron Jones ran for 127 yards on 21 carries, while Jordan Love threw for 219 and had three total touchdowns.
The Panthers gained 389 yards and scored 30 points -- both season-highs -- in the loss.
"[Bryce] was in complete control," said Tabor. "We were playing the game how we wanted to play it... He's a good player. I've always said he's a good player and you saw it today."
They will play at Jacksonville next week, before closing out the season at home against Tampa Bay.
Scoring Summary
7:30 1st - AJ Dillon 1 Yd Run. Anders Carlson Made XP. 7-0 Packers.
5:24 1st - Eddy Pineiro 52 Yd Field Goal. 7-3 Packers.
14:57 2nd - Jordan Love 1 Yd Run. Missed XP. 13-3 Packers.
10:29 2nd - Ihmir Smith-Marsette 20 Yd Run. Eddy Pineiro Made XP. 13-10 Packers.
7:51 2nd - Anders Carlson 53 Yd Field Goal. 16-10 Packers.
0:49 2nd - Dontayvion Wicks 21 Yd pass from Jordan Love. Anders Carlson Made XP. 23-10 Packers.
5:11 3rd - Chuba Hubbard 4 Yd Run. Missed XP. 23-16 Packers.
14:57 4th - Romeo Doubs 5 Yd pass from Jordan Love. Anders Carlson Made XP. 30-16 Packers.
7:14 4th - DJ Chark Jr. 11 Yd pass from Bryce Young. Missed XP. 30-22 Packers.
4:05 4th - DJ Chark Jr. 10 Yd pass from Bryce Young. Raheem Blackshear Run for 2-pt Conversion. Tied 30-30.
0:19 4th - Anders Carlson 32 Yd Field Goal. 33-30 Packers.
