The Green Bay Packers beat the Carolina Panthers 27-19 on Thursday Night Football at Lambeau Field, surviving a late rally to move to 5-3 on the season. Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes, the Packers' defense racked up six sacks, and Green Bay held on after Carolina closed to within eight points in the final six minutes. The Panthers fell to 3-4 with their second straight defeat. Here is how the game was won, and what it means for both teams.
How the game was won
Green Bay built their lead in the second quarter and never gave it up. Love had two touchdown passes in the first half — including a 24-yard scoring toss to Matthew Golden late in the half — to offset a pair of lost fumbles and help the Packers take a 20-10 lead into the break. Early in the third quarter, Love's four-yard touchdown pass to Josh Jacobs stretched the advantage to 27-10.
Carolina refused to go away. Ryan Fitzgerald countered with a 50-yard field goal to make it 27-13, and with 5:37 remaining, Bryce Young hit Jalen Coker with a 26-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-3 to cut the gap to 27-19. The Panthers got the ball back at their own 45 after a punt with 4:35 left, but Young's fourth-down pass was incomplete, and Green Bay ran out the clock. The Panthers outgained the Packers 109 to 32 in the fourth quarter, but the early damage was done — Green Bay outgained Carolina 354 to 258 overall.
Love's night: three touchdowns, one interception
Love finished 30 of 41 for 288 yards with three touchdowns, one interception and a 106.6 passer rating. His biggest play was a 53-yard pass to Christian Watson — who led all receivers with 113 yards — to key a 90-yard scoring drive. It was the kind of efficient, mistake-light night the Packers needed after their three-game winning streak was snapped by Detroit in Week 7.
The running game, though, remains a problem. Green Bay entered the week last in the NFL in rushing at 59.9 yards per game, and managed just 66 yards on the ground against Carolina. Jacobs, back after a six-game stint on the Commissioner's Exempt List, had 91 offensive yards and a touchdown in his return — but the Packers still cannot run the ball the way a cold-weather team in late October needs to.
What it means for both teams
For Green Bay, the win stops the slide after the 20-17 loss at Detroit and keeps the Packers in the thick of the NFC North race at 5-3. The defense — fifth in the league in EPA per play coming in, and the NFL's interception leaders with nine — did its part again, holding a Carolina offense that averages 26.5 points per game to 19.
For Carolina, the defeat is a second straight loss and drops the Panthers to 3-4, tied with Atlanta atop a crowded NFC South. The warning signs from the 43-13 loss to Tampa Bay in Week 7 were still there: Young finished 23 of 41 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception, the offense was ineffective for most of the night after initially taking a 10-6 lead, and the offensive line — already without right tackle Taylor Moton, placed on injured reserve with a fractured fibula — remains a concern. The Panthers also lost the last meeting between these teams, 16-13 at Lambeau Field in Week 9 of last season, and the venue has not been kind to them: Green Bay lead the all-time series 12-7, and 6-3 at Lambeau.
How to follow Week 8
Every Week 8 result, and every score as it happens, will be on GoalZaro's live scores page, with the full American football calendar on the American football page. For readers new to the sport, our American football downs explained guide covers how downs, yardage and scoring work.
Questions, answered
What was the final score? Green Bay Packers 27, Carolina Panthers 19, at Lambeau Field on Thursday, October 29.
How did Jordan Love play? 30 of 41 for 288 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and a 106.6 passer rating.
What are the records now? Green Bay improve to 5-3; Carolina fall to 3-4.
How did Carolina get back into it? Trailing 27-10 in the third quarter, the Panthers cut it to 27-19 on Bryce Young's 26-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker with 5:37 left — but their final drive ended on an incomplete fourth-down pass.
Who led the Packers in receiving? Christian Watson, with 113 yards, including a 53-yard catch that keyed a 90-yard scoring drive.
Where do I find live scores? On GoalZaro's live scores page, which covers the NFL and the rest of the weekend's sport.
Sources
Final score, statistics and game flow: packers.com's official game report ("Packers defeat Panthers, 27-19", October 29, 2026) and NBC Sports' Thursday Night Football report. Pre-game context (records, Week 7 results, injuries, series history): Sports Illustrated's Panthers vs. Packers Week 8 preview, Athlon Sports' Week 8 preview, and Bookmakers Review's TNF preview — all published before kick-off on October 29, 2026.