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Green Bay vs. Carolina
11/27/00 - Packers Lose 31-14
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| RB Ahman Green had an excellent game against the Panthers, posting 12 carries for 61 yds and a touchdown. |
The Packers traveled to Carolina's Ericsson Stadium on Monday night hoping
to recapture the magic of their last primetime appearance.
The results, however, bore little resemblance to their November 6 miracle
victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Carolina struck early and took advantage of 5 Green Bay turnovers en route
to a 31-14 Panthers win, which left the Packers 3 games behind in the
playoff race with just 4 contests remaining.
Panthers quarterback Steve Beuerlein threw 3 touchdown passes, and
first-year running back Brad Hoover rushed for 117 yards in the offensive
attack that matched the highest output allowed by Green Bay this season.
Entering the game, all eyes were fixed upon defensive end Reggie White, who
was facing his former team for the first time since coming out of a one-year
retirement.
But Green Bay's offensive line - particularly rookie right tackle Mark
Tauscher - kept the future Hall of Fame defensive lineman in check for most
of the game.
White was not credited with a sack or a tackle in the Panthers victory, but
insisted his teammates made an impact in the game.
"We got some pressure on him," said White regarding the Panthers' pressure
of Brett Favre, his friend and former teammate. "He was getting rid of the
ball really quick at times. He didn't want me to hit him. He let everybody
else hit him. We didn't have any conversation at all. I've never really
talked a lot."
For the Packers, Favre completed 31-of-51 passes for 267 yards, and Ahman
Green had another impressive performance, gaining 117 total yards on 12
carries and a career-high 9 receptions.
But that was not enough for Green Bay to overcome the turnovers and an early
14-point deficit.
"I'm very disappointed that we didn't have a very good showing down here,"
said Head Coach Mike Sherman. "I fully anticipated us coming out ready to
play, and it was obvious that we were not ready. I think it was the first
time all year long that I felt like we were not very crisp out there, and it
certainly appeared to be the case today."
The Panthers quickly jumped in front. Their first play from scrimmage
resulted in a 31-yard pass from Beuerlein to Kris Mangum to the Green Bay
37-yard line, and 6 plays later, Beuerlein found Chris Hetherington for a
three-yard touchdown to give Carolina a 7-0 lead 3:39 into the game.
After the Packers offense went 3-and-out on their first possession, the
Panthers regained control at the Green Bay 46-yard line and scored minutes
later on a Muhsin Muhammad 12-yard catch.
Trailing by 14 points early in the second quarter, safety LeRoy Butler
provided a much-needed spark for the Green Bay defense when he blitzed
Beuerlein near midfield and knocked the ball loose into the hands of
linebacker Nate Wayne.
Wayne advanced the ball to the Carolina 38, where the offense took over and
scored two plays later on a 26-yard run by Ahman Green.
Carolina was handed terrific field position later in the quarter after a
Panthers punt was touched inadvertently by the Packers' Mike McKenzie and
recovered by the kicking team. Deep in their own territory, Green Bay was
attempting to let the punt die safely, but instead Carolina took control at
the 20-yard line when McKenzie was unable to dodge the unpredictable bounce.
However, Packers cornerback Tyrone Williams intercepted Beuerlein three
plays later and returned it to the Carolina 44.
After a first-down run by Green, Favre found Donald Driver streaking across
the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown strike with 2:02 to play in the half.
The touchdown was the 250th for Favre, who reached the milestone in just 141
games, making Favre the second fastest in league history to the mark, behind
only Dan Marino.
But Joe Nedney added a 26-yard field goal before halftime to give the
Panthers a 17-14 lead.
Carolina then scored quickly in the second half after an Antonio Freeman
fumble on the Packers' first series of the period gave the Panthers control
at their own five-yard line.
On third-and-goal from the three, Beuerlein found Muhammad in the left
corner of the end zone to extend the Panthers lead to 10.
In the fourth quarter, an Eric Davis interception gave Carolina a
first-and-10 at the Green Bay 12, and Brad Hoover rumbled into the end zone
with 9:14 left in the game, putting the game out of reach for the Packers,
who saw their record fall to 5-7 with Monday's loss.
"You don't know what is going to happen in this league," said safety Darren
Sharper. "But we are not in a good position. You don't ever want to count
yourself out, but teams could lose some games, and you might fall into a
playoff spot. But right now, we just hurt ourselves."
Injury Notes
Packers defensive tackle Santana Dotson left the game in the first half with
what Sherman called a significant strain of the quad muscle above his right
knee. He did not return to the game and will be evaluated on Tuesday.
Butler received a blow to the head late in the game and did not return,
though his injury is not believed to be serious.
Other players who suffered minor injuries and returned to action were
linebacker K.D. Williams (finger), linebacker Nate Wayne (hip), cornerback
Antuan Edwards (knee and cramps) and cornerback/kick returner Allen Rossum
(wind knocked out).
Packers Radio Network Game Broadcast
Packers-Panthers archived complete game broadcast (RealAudio)
Real Audio Highlights
Packers-Panthers Game Highlights (Real Audio)
Post-Game Locker Room Audio
Head Coach Mike Sherman (RealAudio)
S LeRoy Butler (RealAudio)
QB Brett Favre (RealAudio)
TE Bubba Franks (RealAudio)
WR Bill Schroeder (RealAudio)
S Darren Sharper (RealAudio)
T Mark Tauscher (RealAudio)
DE John Thierry (RealAudio)
LB K.D. Williams (RealAudio)
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
CAR: S.Beurlein pass to C.Hetherington for 3 yds and TOUCHDOWN (J.Nedney Extra Point is good)
CAR: S.Beurlein pass to M.Muhammad for 12 yds and TOUCHDOWN (J.Nedney Extra Point is good)
2nd Quarter
GBP: A.Green 26 yd run and TOUCHDOWN (R.Longwell Extra Point is good)
GBP: B.Favre pass to D.Driver for 32 yds and TOUCHDOWN (R.Longwell Extra Point is good)
CAR: J.Nedney 26 yd Field Goal is GOOD
3rd Quarter
CAR: S.Beurlein pass to M.Muhammad for 3 yds and TOUCHDOWN (J.Nedney Extra Point is good)
GBP: B.Favre pass to D.Driver for 32 yds and TOUCHDOWN (R.Longwell Extra Point is good)
4th Quarter
CAR: B.Hoover 1 yd run and TOUCHDOWN (J.Nedney Extra Point is good)
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