Packers DT Colby Wooden explains why he’s called ‘the general’
Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Colby Wooden talks about his play at this point in the season and why he’s called ‘the general.’
- The Green Bay Packers lost 16-13 to the Carolina Panthers after a last-second field goal.
- Panthers running back Rico Dowdle rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers’ defense.
- Kicker Brandon McManus has struggled since returning from injury, missing a 43-yard field goal in the loss.
GREEN BAY − On a wind-assisted day for defense, the Green Bay Packers couldn’t make one more stop to force overtime.
The Packers lost 16-13 to the Carolina Panthers on a 49-yard field goal from Ryan Fitzgerald as time expired. In a game they seemed to be chasing all day, the Packers defense kept giving an offense stuck in the mud chances. Ultimately, coordinator Jeff Hafley’s group needed one more stop.
The Packers tied the score at 13 late in the fourth quarter on Josh Jacobs’ touchdown run. The Panthers’ final possession started with 2 minutes, 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter. They marched 40 yards on nine plays to set up the game-winning field goal.
The loss inside Lambeau Field this season puts the Packers at 5-2-1. They host the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football” next week.
Here are three instant takeaways:
Brandon McManus in a funk as he returns from injury
There are reasonable excuses. A week ago, Brandon McManus returned from a quad injury on his kicking leg at Pittsburgh in perhaps the most difficult NFL stadium for kickers in the league. On Sunday, the wind at Lambeau Field was ferocious.
But McManus has struggled in his two games back from injury. A week after missing field goal attempts of 57 and 44 yards against the Steelers, McManus pulled a 43-yard field goal wide left in the third quarter.
That McManus has made only 4 of 7 field goals the past two weeks after backup Lucas Havrisik, who remains on the roster, was perfect on 10 kicks (four field goals, six extra points) could cause an interesting situation this week.
The Packers likely will be patient with McManus, a veteran who has kicked in a Super Bowl, had a tremendous season a year ago, and has legitimate reasons for his recent struggles. But it’s hard to see the Packers doing anything but keeping Havrisik on their roster as the NFL trade deadline approaches Tuesday.
Luke Musgrave makes pair of catches to give Packers momentum on game-tying drive
In his rookie season two years ago, Tucker Kraft had a slow start but finally got his chance to begin his road to stardom when fellow rookie tight end Luke Musgrave was injured.
Since then, Kraft has become one of the NFL’s best tight ends. Musgrave, meanwhile, has been rendered mostly an afterthought in the Packers offense. It’s possible Musgrave might have an opportunity to follow Kraft’s path in his third season.
Kraft exited Sunday’s game with a knee injury. On a run block, Kraft collided with a couple of players, and he lay motionless on the field for several moments before slowly walking toward the sideline. Kraft eventually was carted off to the locker room, where he was ruled out for the game.
Enter, Musgrave.
The 2023 second-round draft pick, selected one round ahead of Kraft in the same draft, caught three passes for 34 yards to propel the Packers’ game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter. The first went for 21 yards, jump-starting the drive. A few snaps later, Musgrave caught a 5 yarder on third-and-8, setting up a fourth-and-3 conversion. Musgrave also caught an 8-yard pass to convert second-and-4, putting the Packers in the red zone.
Quarterback Jordan Love completed 26 of 37 passes for 273 yards and an interception (80.1 rating). His favorite target was veteran Romeo Doubs, who caught seven of 10 targets. But Musgrave’s emergence came just in time. If Kraft is out for a while, the opportunities might keep coming.
The “Thank You, Jerry” Bowl
The Packers aren’t alone in their gratitude for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. In the same offseason Jones traded Micah Parsons, he also chose not to re-sign running back Rico Dowdle.
The Panthers tailback has been making that decision look silly for a month now, and he gave Parsons and the Packers defense fits. Dowdle finished with 130 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns. His most-impactful run of the day came on a 19-yard carry up the middle, putting the Panthers in position for a game-winning field goal.
Dowdle became the first tailback this season to reach 100 yards on the Packers defense. Their previous most allowed in a game also came in a loss at Cleveland to tailback Quinshon Judkins, who finished with 94 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.
The Packers got good production from running back Josh Jacobs, whose 87 yards on 17 carries were his second most this season. Jacobs had the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter, his 10th rushing score this season and fifth straight game finding the end zone. But the Packers defense ultimately had no answer for Dowdle.
