The Packers' lack of a consistent pass rush has plagued the defense since Cullen Jenkins' season-ending injury back in Week 4.
But the one consistent performer in that area has been Pro Bowler Aaron Kampman, who sacked Carolina's Jake Delhomme twice on Sunday, a nice reward for his relentless pursuit that many times hasn't proved fruitful, at least statistically.
Kampman has been a steady presence in pressuring from the edge and was the only Green Bay lineman to get close to New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees in last week's loss. His two sacks Sunday were his first since the Nov. 9 game at Minnesota, and they give him 9 1/2 on the season, just a half-sack from reaching double digits for the third straight year. Kampman has gone to the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons.
Since getting his first sack of 2008 in the opener against the Vikings, Kampman has now recorded five multi-sack games this season, having posted 1 1/2 sacks at Detroit, vs. Dallas and at Minnesota, respectively, and two sacks at Seattle and again on Sunday.
A couple of milestones
Receiver Greg Jennings came into Sunday's game needing just 34 yards for the first 1,000-yard season of his career, and he got it on a 15-yard grab in the third quarter that was part of the Packers' 95-yard drive for a tying touchdown.
Jennings finished with a team-best eight receptions for 91 yards and a TD in the game, giving him 64 catches for 1,047 yards and seven scores. Jennings had come up 80 yards short of 1,000 last season, when he missed the first two games of the year with an ankle injury and then sat out the regular-season finale.
Also, fellow receiver Donald Driver surpassed 50 catches on the season Sunday, giving him seven seasons with at least 50 receptions. That ties him with James Lofton and Sterling Sharpe for the most 50-catch seasons in team history. Driver's five grabs for 83 yards in the game give him 54 catches for 698 yards and four TDs this year.
Running back Ryan Grant, who did not play in the second half due to a thumb injury, finished his day with 12 carries for 39 yards and now needs 124 yards for his first 1,000-yard season. Grant had 956 yards a year ago.
A little foggy
Center Scott Wells errant shotgun snap in the second quarter turned out to be his last play of the game, leaving with a concussion. Wells was not available in the locker room afterwards, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he's rather certain Wells sustained the concussion on the Packers' touchdown drive prior to the bad snap.
"On a run to the left, he came back to the huddle, and I know Scott, I've known him for four years now and he's an extremely tough guy, and it looked like something was a little bit off," Rodgers said. "He probably was a little foggy."
{sportsad300}When the offense went right back onto the field after a Carolina three-and-out, Rodgers said the snap count on the first play was on 'two.' Wells snapped it on 'one,' the ball flew over Rodgers' head and was eventually recovered by the Panthers, leading to a Carolina touchdown and a 21-10 lead.
Rodgers said he wouldn't have been able to catch that snap had it been on the right count, but he took part of the blame anyway for not falling on the ball in the backfield and letting it bounce away.
Some history
Running back DeAngelo Williams' four rushing touchdowns on Sunday marked the first time in 35 years that a Green Bay opponent scored four TDs in one game.
The last one was Chicago's Bobby Douglass, in a 31-17 Bears' victory on Nov. 4, 1973, at Lambeau Field. Douglass' four TD runs were from 1, 1, 2 and 1 yards out. All four of Williams' scores were from the 1.
Injury update
In addition to the injuries to Wells (concussion) and Grant (thumb), three other Packers left the game with injuries and did not return. They were safety Atari Bigby (shoulder bruise) and defensive ends Jeremy Thompson (ankle) and Kenny Pettway (knee).
