The Panthers are having musical chairs at QB and it’s hurting the whole offense.  The Panthers have been starting whichever of David Carr or Vinny Testaverde are healthy….and it’s not working out too well.  Carr has had back issues this season but that’s no excuse for his poor play.  Carr has completed 73 of 136 passes (53.7%) for 635 yards with 3 TD passes and 5 interceptions (58.3 QB Rating).  Testaverde has had issues with his Achilles which has kept him out of action.  When he has played, he has looked his age and that’s not a good thing.  Vinny has completed 64 of 118 passes (54.2%) for 699 yards with 3 TD passes and 3 interceptions (69.8 QB Rating).  Undrafted Matt Moore would probably be the smart choice soon as this season is spinning out of control for the Panthers.  Moore has completed 11 of 22 passes (50%) for 145 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 interceptions (31.6 QB Rating).

The Panthers appeared to forget they had a football game last Sunday and it showed on the field.  David Carr started the game and he was awful completing 10 of 22 passes for 95 yards with 2 interceptions.  Rookie Matt Moore followed Carr in the game and he completed 8 of 14 passes for 66 yards with a interception.  DeAngelo Williams led the Panthers in rushing with 19 yards on 4 carries (4.8 ypc).  DeShaun Foster had without a doubt his worst NFL game in his career.  He carried the ball 9 times for a loss of 5 yards (-0.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 16 yards (8.0 avg).  Foster also lost a fumble.  Steve Smith added 6 catches for 47 yards (7.8 avg) and he also had a carry for 22 yards.  The Panthers finished up with 43 yards rushing on 18 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 36 passes for 152 yards.

The defense was led by cornerback Richard Marshall (13 tackles) and Jon Beason (10 tackles) who both played decent games.  The Saints finished up rushing for 113 yards on 39 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 36 passes for 260 yards.

The undermanned Panthers gave it their best shot in Green Bay but they were overmatched.  Vinny Testaverde completed 19 of 37 passes for 258 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 interceptions.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 19 yards (9.5 ypc).  DeShaun Foster led the way in the running game for the Panthers with 87 yards rushing on 20 carries (4.4 ypc).  DeAngelo Williams pitched in with 6 carries for 22 yards (3.7 ypc).  Drew Carter stepped up big time in this game as he caught 5 passes for 132 yards (26.4 avg) with a TD grab.  Keary Colbert also had a decent game with 6 grabs for 33 yards (5.5 avg).  The Panthers finished with 131 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 37 passes for 251 yards.

The Panthers defense was led by linebacker Jon Beason (9 tackles) and DE Julius Peppers (5 tackles, 1 sack).  The Packers finished with 103 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 30 passes for 214 yards.

This is a bad matchup for the Panthers despite the fact that they are a solid 4-1 on the road this season.  The Panthers would like to establish a running game with DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams against a Packers run defense that is only allowing 92.9 yards rushing per game and 3.9 ypc.  If the Panthers can’t run the ball at least a little bit the Packers will bring the house against Vinny Testaverde and that will turn out badly for the Panthers as Aaron Kampman (9 sacks) and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (8.5 sacks) have been living in opposing backfields.  If the Panthers can run the ball a little bit then Vinny Testeverde might be able to get the ball deep to Steve Smith (45 rec, 590 yards, 6 TDs) off of play action.

The Packers will probably try to run a more balanced offense this week against the Panthers like they did last week against the Vikings.  The Panthers give up 113.2 yards rushing per game so Ryan Grant (305 yards, 4.2 ypc) should get his share of carries and yards in this game.  The Panthers only have 9 sacks this season so Brett Favre should have plenty of time to locate receivers and get them the football.  The Packers have 4 different receivers with at least 27 receptions so far this season so the Panthers could be in big trouble on Sunday.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 31, PANTHERS 13

The Panthers just couldn’t get anything going on offense in this game and it hurt them in the end.  Vinny Testaverde started the game and he didn’t play too well as he completed 13 of 28 passes for 153 yards.  DeShaun Foster had a rough time finding room to run as he carried the ball 20 times for 59 yards (3.0 ypc).  DeAngelo Williams got some work in with 7 carries for 27 yards (3.9 ypc).  Steve Smith had his best game in a long time but that’s not saying much as he caught 5 passes for 51 yards.  The Panthers finished up with 90 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 29 passes for 145 yards.

The defense of the Panthers gave a good effort and it was led by rookie linebacker Jon Beason who had 11 tackles.  Ken Lucas also had a solid game with 5 tackles and a 27 yard fumble recovery for a TD.  The Falcons finished up with 88 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.1 ypc) and they completed 20 of 27 passes for 189 yards.