Packers: Five players key to victory in Week 15 vs. Panthers
By Jesse Fry
Five key players in Week 15 for the Packers.
Coming off a victory over the division-rival Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers will now get a rare Saturday night game against the visiting Carolina Panthers.
Carolina heads into Lambeau all but eliminated from the playoff race but still has a lot to prove.
Rookie head coach Matt Rhule didn’t have the same type of success as Packers’ Matt LaFleur in his first year but his team has been competitive in just about every game and even pulled out some upsets along the way. The Panthers gave the Kansas City Chiefs all they could handle in Week 9, losing by only two points.
The Packers catch a bit of a break as it appears All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey will miss the game with a quad injury but the Panthers will be gaining up-and-coming receiver DJ Moore.
Green Bay has been rolling as of late, winners of their last three, they have clinched the NFC North and are in control of the number one seed in the NFC.
But, there is still work to do.
Despite their record, the Panthers are a good matchup for the Packers to prepare for the playoffs.
Even without McCaffrey, the Panthers have a good ground game led by Mike Davis and have some playmakers on the edge with the aforementioned Moore, Robby Anderson, and Curtis Samuel.
On defense, the Panthers are led by Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, linebacker Jeremy Chinn. Carolina is young all over the defense but got off to a hot start, and was as high as seventh in the NFL in pass defense.
The Panthers have cooled off some and have a problem getting pressure on the quarterback.
One thing the Packers will have to focus on during this game is ball security. Although the Panthers have only five interceptions, they lead the league in forced fumbles with 13.
If Green Bay wants to maintain their lead for the number one seed, the team cannot look past the Panthers and take care of business on Saturday.
Here are my five key players.