During the week, the Green Bay Packers didn’t know for certain which Carolina quarterback they would face on Sunday. Bryce Young, dealing with an ankle injury? Veteran backup Andy Dalton, who played last week in Young’s absence? With Dalton hampered by a thumb injury, the Panthers then signed ex-Jets quarterback Mike White for insurance. If Young’s ankle took a turn for the worse, the Packers could well see White in his place.
Friday’s report cleared up any lingering uncertainty. Already trending in the right direction as a full participant in Thursday’s practice, Young no longer has any injury tag for Sunday. All signs suggest that he will suit up against Green Bay. Accordingly, the Packers have dropped from 13.5 to 12.5-point home favorites.
Green Bay’s flat footedness vs mediocre teams makes Panthers matchup a potential sneaky spot with Young back healthy
As far as the outcome of the game, that’s obviously not much of a change, but it does reflect the fact that the Packers will have a harder task than going up against Dalton or White. They have not performed well as large favorites this season. In fact, while they have only lost one game outright as a favorite of six or more points, they have failed to cover the spread in a single such game.
Sep 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) reacts after a play against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Packers’ results against the spread as 6-plus point favorites:
Week 3 @ Cleveland – Line: GB -7.5, Result: 13-10 L
Week 4 @ Dallas – Line: GB -6.5, Result: 40-40 T
Week 6 vs Cincinnati – Line: GB -13.5, Result: 27-18 W
Week 7 @ Arizona – Line: GB -6.5, Result: 27-23 W
Interestingly enough, the Packers have covered all three times as a favorite of 3.5 or fewer points vs the Lions, Commanders, and Steelers.
On top of the Packers’ tendency to play down to the competition, Young has not been all that atrocious this season, building on a strong second half last year. Throw out a poor Week 1 performance against the Jaguars, and he has actually been solid.
Bryce Young stats in six games since Week 1: 10 TD, 3 INT, 63.5 CMP%, 1,134 yards
The Panthers went 4-2 in those games and at 4-4 overall are very much alive in the NFC Wild Card race, a game back of 5-3 San Francisco for the final spot. Running back Rico Dowdle burst onto the scene with a pair of herculean games versus Miami and Dallas. He is a legitimate weapon, with 522 rush yards on 6.7 yards per carry in his last four games, plus eight catches for 101 yards.
Dec 24, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to pass as Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark (97) pressures in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Despite injuries on the offensive line, the Panthers’ backfield duo of Dowdle and Chubba Hubbard still do some damage if the Packers don’t take the run game out of the picture by building an early lead.
Even as big favorites, the Packers must come into the game ready to put pedal to the metal and not fall for a textbook sleepy spot coming off an exhilarating prime time win over Aaron Rodger and the Steelers last Sunday.
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