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PACKERS AMBUSHED IN CAROLINA 31-14
posted 11/28/00
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| WR Donald Driver is congratulated by fellow wideout Antonio Freeman on his 32-yard TD catch. |
THE WEEK PAST: Surprised by a quick Carolina getaway in Charlotte - the Panthers charged to a 14-0 lead with less than eight minutes gone in the first quarter - the Packers managed to retaliate in kind during the second period to square the score at 14-all.
But there the comeback ended. The Panthers mustered a Joe Nedney field goal just before halftime to go up, 17-14, then converted a Packers fumble and an interception into two second half touchdowns - while the Packers went scoreless - to carry the night.
The Panthers made their intentions known early, marching 68 yards in 8 plays to score following the opening kickoff, the touchdown coming on a 3-yard pass from quarterback Steve Beuerlein to fullback Chris Hetherington.
The Carolinians' second possession had a like result. Provided with enviable field position at the Green Bay 47-yard line following a punt, the Panthers scored in four plays, Beuerlein finding wideout Muhsin Muhammad in the end zone with a 12-yard strike. Nedney added both conversions.
It was early in the second quarter before the defense ignited Green Bay's response. Strong safety LeRoy Butler breaking through on a safety blitz, sacked Beuerlein, forcing a fumble. Linebacker Nate Wayne scooped up the loose football and maneuvered 8 yards to the Carolina 38 before being tackled.
Quarterback Brett Favre had the Packers in the end zone in two plays. He first hit split end Bill Schroeder for a 12-yard gain along the left sideline, then sent running back Ahman Green over left guard. Breaking into the open, Green easily out-ran his pursuit to the end zone. Ryan Longwell's first of two conversions cut Carolina's lead to 14-7.
Late in the quarter, with Carolina driving, right cornerback Tyrone Williams intercepted a Beuerlein pass at Green Bay's 10-yard line and set off on a 46-yard runback to Carolina's 44.
Five plays later, Favre found wideout Donald Driver in the end zone with a 32-yard bullseye. Longwell then added what proved to be the Packers' final point of the evening.
The Packers' fortunes began to deteriorate early in the third quarter. Trailing 17-14, they were victimized when Carolina linebacker Mike Minter ripped the football out of Antonio Freeman's hands as he was falling following a reception and former Packer Eugene Robinson, recovering the football on the run, raced 22 yards down to the Green Bay 5 before being tackled by Driver.
Beuerlein needed three plays to capitalize, hitting Muhammad in the end zone with a three-yard pass.
Although the Packers were to do no more scoring, they didn't lack for opportunities. On their second possession following Carolina's third touchdown, Favre orchestrated a 49-yard drive, one which carried the Packers to the Panthers' 19-yard line before a pair of sacks - which produced 8 and 11-yard deficits - sent them out of scoring range.
The Panthers then put the Green and Gold in dire straits by scoring for a fourth time early in the final quarter, setting the stage by downing a punt at Green Bay's 8-yard line.
On second down, cornerback Eric Davis intercepted a Favre pass and returned it 8 yards to the 12. Three plays later, running back Brad Hoover - a surprise 100-yard rusher on this occasion - bolted into the end zone from one yard out.
Favre, never one to say die, authored two more drives but was unable to activate the scoreboard. The first of these ended with an incomplete pass to Freeman on fourth-and-goal at the Carolina 4-yard line and the second on an interception by Panther linebacker Hannibal Navies at the Carolina 18 with only 1:16 left in the game.
Favre closed out his evening with 31 completions in 51attempts for 267 yards and one touchdown, with 3 interceptions.
In the process, he distributed the football among 9 different receivers, Ahman Green emerging with a career-high 9 catches for 56 yards, followed by Schroeder with 6 receptions for 70 yards. Green also was Green Bay's leading rusher with 61 yards in 12 attempts and closed out the day with 117 yards of total offense.
Linebacker Nate Wayne, consistently productive all season, paced the defensive effort with 12 tackles, 9 of them unassisted.
COACH SHERMAN'S POSTGAME COMMENTS:
(on the performance and the result) "It's very disappointing that we didn't have a good showing down here. I fully anticipated us coming out ready to play...and it was obvious that we were not ready.
"It was the first time all year long that I felt that we were not very crisp out there...and that certainly appeared to be the case tonight.
"It reminded me of how we played earlier in the year when we put ourselves in a hole. We fought our way back (to a 14-14 tie late in the second quarter) which was good. But we didn't sustain anything after that - and gave up 14 points in the second half off offensive turnovers, which obviously turned out to be a big part of the game.
"Every turnover tonight was huge. We went into this game saying we couldn't turn the ball over and we did way too many times to expect to win a football game. When a player is trying to make efforts to get a first down, it's admirable, but you've got to secure the football at the same time.
"I don't think we did much of anything right. I think (Steve) Beuerlein, particularly in the first half, was in an up-tempo, getting rid of the football - and it didn't seem like we were in position to make plays. And our tackling, obviously, was not very good as well.
(on whether Carolina's injury problems might have prompted the Packers to let down) "No, it shouldn't have because we've been in a similar boat. And we also had injuries this week as well. We knew what we were getting into.
"As I told the guys last night - I said, 'If you want to get this game, you're going to have to go out and grab hold of it and take it - because this team surely is not going to give you anything.'
"They have a great coaching staff, a great organization. I was fully aware we had to go out and play well to win this football game. Their injuries didn't cause us to let down at all. We knew what we were getting into."
(on Brett Favre's performance) "He didn't play his very best game...He made some good throws. He made an unbelievable throw on our second touchdown. But there were other ones, obviously...They squatted on our receivers a few times.
"I'm sure he's played better, but this was a team loss. There wasn't one phase of our game that was good - offense, defense or special teams."
"It's just frustrating to lose this football game...It's more disappointing than you can ever imagine."
(on whether the Packers' playoff hopes ended with Monday night's loss) "I'm not ever going to say that. I think what we have to worry about now is the Chicago Bears and to see what happens after that. That's what our focus is - that's what I told the guys in there. And stranger things have happened. A 10-and-6 record probably will get you in the playoffs and I don't think 9-and-7 is a lock to be out of the playoffs. I'm not going to say we're out of anything until they tell me that it's time to change my goals."
THE PLAYER PERSPECTIVE:
Quarterback Brett Favre (on whether having fallen behind 14-0 early had changed the approach): "Not necessarily. But our mentality does change a little bit. Obviously, you've got to put points the board - and I say quickly.
"The only thing that makes it different - at that point it seemed like we couldn't stop 'em very good. So every drive - they're all important - but they become much more important in a situation like that."
(on the number of dropped balls by Packers receivers): "I don't think any of those guys intentionally do that...It's upsetting when we don't make the plays when we have a chance. But we all have a job to do. I struggle at times to do mine. The last thing I'm going to do is talk about someone else's position."
(on the fan who came out onto the field in the fourth quarter, when the Packers were on offense) "I saw him out of the corner of my eye - not that he made me throw it (the interception which occurred on the play). I don't know the rules on that. Obviously, if there's an interruption in the play, it's a dead ball...I could see the guy out of corner of my eye...But it's the referee's call."
(on the team's playoff hopes at this point) "I don't know if we should be thinking about playoffs right now...We were in a position to have a chance...Mathematically, we're not out of it right now. But if we play like we did tonight, you can count us out right now."
Running back Ahman Green (on a 61-yard rushing effort following a 153-yard performance against Indianapolis a week earlier): "I just take what the defense gives me...I wasn't looking for a hundred yards...I just wanted to have a good game."
Defensive end John Thierry: "It just goes to show you that you've got to come to play every game no matter who you're playing. You've got to play your best game every week, and we didn't."
NOTE-WORTHY:
-With Monday night's victory, the Carolina Panthers evened the regular season series with the Packers at 2-2. The Packers won their only postseason meeting, in the 1996 NFC Championship Game, 30-13.
-Cornerback Antuan Edwards Monday night made his first start since September 10, when he opened at left corner following an injury to Mike McKenzie.
-Elsewhere on the defense, Nate Wayne started at weak side linebacker for the ninth time to date, Cletidus Hunt made his seventh start at left end in the last eight games and K.D. Williams a second straight start at strong side linebacker, stepping in for the injured Na'il Diggs.
-On offense, rookie tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher jointly made their sixth consecutive starts.
-Ahman Green's 26-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was the Packers' longest such excursion of the season.
-Placekicker Ryan Longwell, with a pair of conversions Monday night, now has 454 career points and needs only two more to move past Fred Cone (455) into sixth place on the Packers' all-time scoring list.
-Strong safety LeRoy Butler, who left the game in the fourth quarter because of a blow to the head, appeared none the worse for wear after the game. He was making his 103rd consecutive start, a streak second on the Green Bay roster only to Brett Favre's 137-game starting streak.
-Running back De'Mond Parker's 24-yard run in the fourth quarter, which put the Packers in scoring position at the Carolina 3-yard line, was his longest of the season.
-Packers inactives for the Carolina contest included offensive tackle Earl Dotson, running back Dorsey Levens, wide receiver Corey Bradford, defensive end Billy Lyon, linebackers Brian Williams and Na'il Diggs, safety Chris Akins and designated Third Quarterback Danny Wuerffel.
-Packers captains for Monday night's game, all appropriately enough former University of North Carolina athletes "back home" for a day: Fullback William Henderson (offense), middle linebacker Bernardo Harris (defense) and outside linebacker Mike Morton (special teams)
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