5 ways Packers can bounce back in Week 10 vs. Panthers

Clean up the penalties

Step number one — don’t get in your own way. That starts with cleaning up the penalties. The Packers were called for eight penalties last week against the Chargers, and that’s every bit of a drive-killer as a sack.

Three of them were false starts and two were delay of game penalties. That’s simply unacceptable. And the Packers can’t blame the environment. It may have been a road game, but the stadium was filled with green and gold.

Seven penalties were called on the offense, constantly putting them in difficult down-and-distances. Setting up third-and-longs won’t work this week up against the Panthers’ pass rush. No team in the NFL has more sacks than Carolina this season. Inviting them to rush the passer on obvious passing downs will make it a tough afternoon for the offensive line, just as we saw last week.

To have a chance of beating the Panthers, the Packers first need to stop hurting themselves with costly penalties. This should be a point of emphasis for Coach LaFleur this week.

Like the Chargers, the Panthers are a talented team and very much in the playoff mix. If the Packers have another eight penalties, it could cost them the game.