Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers offense will face Ejiro Evero, the defensive coordinator he passed over to hire Joe Barry in 2021, and the Panthers defense on Sunday, looking to follow up on a 35-point performance in Pittsburgh last week.
Evero has not been blessed with a bottomless pit of defensive talent in Carolina, and the numbers tell the story of a decent, but beatable defense. The Panthers rank 20th in points allowed per game, 11th in yards and 20th in takeaway percentage. They are respectable, but not formidable by any means.
What they have done though is prevent big plays, which often lead to points. Carolina ranks 10th in the league in preventing explosive pass plays, although they are 20th against the run in that regard.
They mostly play a soft, umbrella defense, the likes of which the Packers have become used to facing to guard against their high-powered offense.
So far in 2025, the Panthers are playing 41% Cover 3 zone, 15% Cover 6 and 13% Cover 4, compared to only 12% of Cover 1 man.
In general, opposing quarterbacks are not having career days against Carolina, with their defense ranking ninth in completion percentage allowed, and 11th in pass yards and passer rating allowed.
A patient approach will be required if the Packers want to lean on Jordan Love and the passing attack on Sunday, and the QB will need to be willing to throw short and take what the defense is giving him.
The good news is Love is likely to have plenty of time in the pocket to survey the picture in front of him. The Panthers rank 31st in pressure rate and do not often send extra bodies to help disrupt things either, ranking 27th in blitz rate.
Defensive tackle Derrick Brown is Carolina’s best defensive player. He is more run stopper than pass rusher, but still leads the team with only three sacks so far this season.
Between Brown and solid veteran A’Shawn Robinson, the interior of the Panthers defense is reasonably stout, but there is little to worry the Packers beyond that up front. They will be without rookie edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, who will miss Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.
Defensive tackle Derrick Brown is Carolina’s best defensive player. He is more run stopper than pass rusher, but still leads the team with only three sacks so far this season.
Between Brown and solid veteran A’Shawn Robinson, the interior of the Panthers defense is reasonably stout, but there is little to worry the Packers beyond that up front. They will be without rookie edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, who will miss Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.
The Packers do not profile as the type of rushing attack that can replicate that kind of success, but with the talent Jacobs has, if the line can create just a tad more room for him to operate, the floodgates could open.
In the secondary, cornerback Jaycee Horn has to be respected. Only 56.3% of passes his way have been completed this year, and he ranks fifth in the league in passer rating allowed at just 47.9.
Patience will be key for the Packers on Sunday, as they will likely have to work their way down the field slowly rather than living on explosive plays against this soft shell Panthers defense.
If they can run the ball effectively, it will make life much easier, but if that does not materialize, it will be on Love to be responsible with the ball and be happy to take small profits over and over.
