Acme Packing Company
The Packers and Panthers hardly have a storied history — the Panthers serving as a stepping stone on the way to the Packers’ Super Bowl XXXI victory is about as rich as this matchup gets. But Packers players have put up quite a few memorable performances against the Panthers over the years. Here are a few of the highlights.
Most passing yards – 388 (Brett Favre, 1998)
The 1998 Packers raced out to a 4-0 start, the fourth win of which was a 37-30 win over the Panthers. The final score really wasn’t as close as it looked (the Packers were up 37-23 with 10 minutes to go and were in control for most of the second half), but it was a characteristically sloppy win for the ‘98 team. Brett Favre threw three interceptions and was sacked twice by future Packers’ assistant coach Kevin Greene, but still racked up 388 passing yards and five passing touchdowns.
Most rushing yards – 145 (Aaron Jones, 2020)
The 2020 Packers could score and move the ball in seemingly dozens of different ways, but Aaron Jones was one of their most reliable offensive engines. He tied his career high in yards per carry that year (5.5) and was near the peak of his efficiency against the Panthers in Week 15. He rolled up 145 yards on just 20 carries, knifing in for an eight yard touchdown in the second quarter to give the Packers a 21-3 lead. They’d go on to win 24-16.
Most receiving yards – 166 (Antonio Freeman, 1997)
The Packers were hitting their offensive stride late in the 1997 season as they attempted to defend their Super Bowl title. In Week 16, the Panthers ran into the buzzsaw the Packers were becoming, finding themselves on the receiving end of a masterful performance from Antonio Freeman. Freeman scored from 58-yards out on the second play of the Packers’ second offensive drive to set the tone, then added another six-yard touchdown later. He finished with 10 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Dorsey Levens should get an honorable mention here. His 117 receiving yards against the Panthers in the 1996 NFC Championship represent the Packers’ fourth-highest total against the Panthers, and it hardly could have come on a bigger stage.
Most Sacks 2 – (seven different players)
No Packers player has recorded more than two sacks against the Panthers, but seven players have hit the two-sack mark: Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Vonnie Holliday, Cletidus Hunt, Aaron Kampman, Preston Smith, Reggie White and Corey Williams. KGB is the only player to have done it twice, though. Notably, White’s two-sack performance came as a part of his 1998 Defensive Player of the Year campaign — though the next time he’d be a part of a Packers/Panthers game, he’d be on the other sideline.
Most tackles – 10 (Nick Barnett, 2005)
Tackles are a pretty fungible stat (they’ve only been “official” at the league level since 2001), so some of the great tackling performances in league history...
