By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper has waited seven years for a playoff contender.
He might finally have one after the Panthers’ 16-13 win over the heavily favored Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
The Packers came in with the NFC’s best record and only one loss, but it was the Panthers who controlled the game from the onset and rode Rico Dowdle and the run game and a tough defense to their fourth straight victory with 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young — who didn’t play last week in a loss to Buffalo — under center.
This is the deepest in the season the Panthers have been above .500 since 2019, when they were also 5-4, but proceeded to lose their final seven games.
Tepper has not been to the playoffs since purchasing the team in 2018.
This year, the Panthers have a chance to surprise some around the NFL with Sunday’s win leaving them just one game behind Chicago and Detroit (both 5-3) in the race for an NFC wild-card spot.
Commentator Julian Edelman quipped on Fox that the Packers were “playing with their food” after the Panthers took a lead into halftime.
But Carolina’s defense never allowed Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs to get on track in the second half and used a last-second field goal by rookie Ryan Fitzgerald to pull off their biggest win in Dave Canales’ two seasons.
Now the question becomes whether the Panthers can sustain the momentum.
“Can we capture this style of football? It didn’t show up for us last week,” Canales said. “It showed up for us today, to get back to our basics and execute. These are the things you need to know what to expect when we get into close games like this.”
What’s working
Canales made the right decision by ditching his split-carry backfield approach and riding with the hot hand in Dowdle on Sunday. Dowdle rewarded Canales’ decision with yet another magnificent performance, carrying 25 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
It had become obvious that Dowdle was the faster and stronger of the two backs after he spent two weeks splitting carries with Chuba Hubbard.
“From carry one, it was attitude, it was aggression and violence at the end of it, and it really does affect the group,” Canales said. “It affects the whole sideline when they see that kind of energy and that kind of violence. It gives them confidence and it’s who we want to be. So, I just really loved what he was able to do.”
Hubbard only got five carries.
What needs help
The Panthers still need to eliminate silly mistakes, particularly those in the red zone.
Young threw one interception in Green Bay territory and would have had another had a Packers defender been able to get two feet down in the end zone.
What’s surprising is that rookie Tetairoa McMillan, the team’s leading receiver, has not been a bigger factor near the end zone. After hauling in 26 touchdown passes in three seasons at the University of Arizona, this year’s No. 8 overall pick has just two this season — both coming against Dallas in Week 6.
Stock up
General manager Dan Morgan had a tough decision to make in the offseason on whether to keep unrestricted free agent kicker Eddy Pineiro after he had climbed the ranks to become the NFL’s third-most accurate field goal kicker. But the team privately had concerns about Pineiro’s leg strength — as well as his salary demands— and decided to roll the dice and go with undrafted rookie Ryan Fitzgerald.
The 2024 All-American from Florida State has already made some big kicks for Carolina, but none bigger than a difficult 49-yarder in the swirling wind at Lambeau Field to win Sunday’s game.
Fitzgerald is 14 of 16 on field goal attempts, although one of those misses is hard to pin on the rookie. Last week, Andy Dalton took a ill-advised sack on third down at the end of the first half and didn’t leave Fitzgerald and the kicking team enough time to run on the field and get set, resulting in a hurried miss.
Stock down
Dowdle has been terrific for the Panthers, but he and his teammates may want to tone down their touchdown celebrations.
On Sunday, Dowdle tested out his Hingle McCringleberry celebration from a “Key & Peele” skit by giving two thrusts of his hips. In the skit, “two pumps” is OK, but three is a penalty. In real life, it only took two for the officials to throw a flag on Dowdle for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The penalty backed up the Panthers 15 yards and Fitzgerald missed the ensuing extra point. Carolina led 13-6 instead of 14-6, which turned out to be important after the Packers tied it at 13.
Injuries
The Panthers reported no major injuries.
Key number
735 — The number of yards rushing for Dowdle this season, which ranks third in the league behind only Jonathan Taylor and James Cook. That’s rather remarkable considering Dowdle has only started three games.
Next steps
The Panthers return home to face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and have been listed as a 4 1/2-point favorite, marking the first time this season they’ve been favored.