When the Green Bay Packers hosted the Carolina Panthers a year ago, they entered the game coming off a 35-point performance on offense on the road in Pittsburgh, only to score 13 in a surprising loss at Lambeau Field.
As they prepare to face the same Ejiro Evero defense on Thursday night, Jordan Love and Green Bay’s offense must not fall into the same trap that led to their defeat in 2025.
Carolina’s defense is not impressive overall, ranking 20th in the NFL in expected points added (EPA) per play. What they do excel in though is preventing explosive pass plays, where they rank third in the league with only 2.8% of passes turning into 20-plus yard plays.
That was the case last year too, as Evero’s defensive ideology strives to keep everything in front
of them. Jordan Love could not help but get bored, leading to him forcing downfield throws and making mistakes in the loss.
After posting a 134.1 passer rating against the Steelers a week earlier, he dropped down to 80.1 versus the Panthers, throwing one interception and zero touchdowns.
Perhaps even more so this year, the Packers survive on explosives in the passing game, ranking second in the league at 7%. It is a bad matchup for how Green Bay wants (or needs) to operate on offense.
They have had no run game to speak of during the first seven games, and a combination of uneven offensive line play, drops and other concentration or execution errors, they are not the type of team that can consistently go on long drives by taking what the defense gives them.
That is the formula they will need to embrace on Thursday night, and it may be reliant on getting the run game going, which is a terrifying thought.
Carolina ranks 26th in explosive run rate, so even if Josh Jacobs cannot consistently grind out yards, ripping off some chunk plays could be important. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry against them last year.
Another crucial element the Packers could lean on is Tucker Kraft, who tore his ACL in this same fixture last season.
It is possible the game plan a year ago was to channel the offense through Kraft against such a soft defense, given his ability to pick up yards after the catch. He is yet to produce an explosive performance like the ones he did in 2025, and Thursday night would be a good time to do so.
Matt LaFleur knows Ejero well after working with him at previous stops and even interviewing him for the Packers defensive coordinator job when he ended up hiring Joe Barry instead. He knows what to expect.
LaFleur said: “I think it’s a very tough defense to go against because they’re going to try to keep a lid on you and they’re going to make you earn it, so you’ve gotta be consistent with, not just one person, all eleven have gotta be consistent throughout. You’ve gotta stay patient."
Thursday presents an opportunity for Love and the Packers to prove they can put up points the long way, and if they fail that test, it may be decisive in another loss.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Jordan Love, Packers offense must avoid familiar trap against Panthers
