Packers vs. Panthers: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The Carolina Panthers ran their record to a perfect 8-0 Sunday following a 37-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers at home in Week 9.

The result didn't come easy after Carolina nearly threw away a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Running back James Starks sparked a furious Packers comeback with a 29-yard touchdown with eight minutes, five seconds left in the game. Then came a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to Richard Rodgers that made it a one-score game, 37-29.

The scoring drive included a 36-yard completion from Rodgers to James Jones on 4th-and-14 at the Packers 44-yard line, per the NFL:    

On the Panthers' first play from scrimmage following Jones' TD, Green Bay corner Damarious Randall intercepted a pass from Cam Newton that was intended for Ted Ginn Jr. Randall looked to be bobbling the ball before going out of bounds:

The replay official looked over the play and ultimately upheld the original ruling of an interception.

As a result, the Packers had a little over three-and-a-half minutes to move 22 yards for the game-tying score.

Eventually, the Packers had a 1st-and-goal from the 9-yard line, but Rodgers threw back-to-back incompletions. He scrambled for five yards on third down to set up a decisive 4th-and-4.

Packers associate head coach Tom Clements called a pick play, which opened up wide receiver Randall Cobb in the flat, but Rodgers was unable to find him as he was dealing with intense pressure from Carolina's front seven. Rodgers hurried a throw, which Thomas Davis intercepted at the 3-yard line to seal the win for the Panthers.

Last week, Rodgers threw for a paltry 77 yards in a 29-10 defeat to the Denver Broncos. Although the Panthers have one of the best pass defenses in the league, many expected a strong rebound from the Packers quarterback. According to NFL Network, the team hadn't lost consecutive games with Rodgers under center since 2010.

Instead, Rodgers struggled once again. He threw for 376 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, but it came on 25-of-48 passing (52.1 percent), his worst completion percentage of the season. The Panthers also sacked him five times throughout the day.

Carolina's official Twitter account reveled in each moment Rodgers found himself in trouble:

Newton had a somewhat similar showing, going 15-of-30 for 297 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He added 57 yards and a touchdown on the ground as well.

A second-quarter explosion provided the impetus necessary for Carolina to pick up its biggest win of the season.

The Packers led 7-3 after the first quarter on the strength of a one-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Richard Rodgers. Over the ensuing 15 minutes of game action, the Panthers proceeded to score 24 unanswered points, taking a 27-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Newton got the scoring started with a one-yard touchdown run 2:51 into the second quarter. Following the TD, he wanted to hand the ball to a fan, but former Panthers star Julius Peppers was having none of it, per the Panthers:

"

That was salty, Peppers. Sorry. That was cheesy. pic.twitter.com/HGdM36oxKi

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 8, 2015"

A little over three minutes later, tight end Greg Olsen helped make it a two-score game, 17-7, with a seven-yard touchdown grab. The biggest play on the drive came from second-round pick Devin Funchess, who hauled in a 52-yard reception over the top of the Packers secondary, per the NFL:

Funchess hasn't had a great start to the season, tallying seven catches for 90 yards entering Week 9. Max Henson of Panthers.com believes that second-quarter catch could build a lot of confidence in the rookie:

Graham Gano gave Carolina a 13-point lead with a 49-yard field goal with 5:05 left in the first half.

Then, inside the final minute, Newton hit Corey "Philly" Brown in stride with a beautiful 39-yard touchdown pass.

Brown is another Panthers wide receiver who has received a lot of criticism, particularly for his play in the preseason and early into the regular season. The Charlotte Observer's Tom Sorensen feels fully justified for backing the second-year wideout to turn things around after that slow start:

The Panthers scored on four of their five possessions in the second quarter and nearly made it 5-of-5 but watched as Gano's 43-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left. According to NFL Network researcher Bill Smith, the 20-point halftime deficit for the Packers was the second-largest of Rodgers' career.

Green Bay needed a strong response to begin the third quarter, and it got one from Cobb. He gained a step on Panthers corner Bene Benwikere and caught a perfect throw from Rodgers en route to a 53-yard touchdown, per the NFL:

Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman wanted to be a fly on the wall of the Packers locker room at halftime: 

Green Bay was unable to use that touchdown as a springboard for the remainder of the game, however. The Packers' next four drives all ended in punts as the NFC North leaders were unable to cut into the deficit.

Tempers looked to boil over a bit on the Green Bay sideline after B.J. Raji and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix got into a verbal argument on the sideline in the fourth quarter, per CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora. That squabble followed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Funchess, which helped put the Panthers ahead 37-14 with 9:22 left in the game.

SB Nation's Ryan Nanni made light of the fact the Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals are among the remaining unbeaten teams:

Offense is the biggest question surrounding Carolina's Super Bowl chances. Football Outsiders ranks the Panthers second in defensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) but a less impressive 14th in offensive DVOA entering Week 9.

The Panthers slowed down a bit in the second half, but any doubts about their offense should be put to bed following Sunday's game. Barring injuries to key players, Carolina can beat any team in the league.

That sentiment once applied to the Packers but may not be the case anymore after their back-to-back defeats to the Broncos and Panthers.

You could argue Green Bay lacks a true signature win since the Seattle Seahawks were 4-4 and the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers a combined 5-11 heading into the day. The Packers have also lost their two toughest tests of the season.

Pro Football Talk also drew attention to the potential playoff implications for the Packers as a result of their defeat:

The good news for Green Bay is it plays the Detroit Lions twice, the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears over the next four weeks. All of those games are winnable for the Packers, so they should at the very least remain in the hunt for the No. 2 seed in the NFC by the start of December.

Postgame Reaction

"A tough loss," Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said of the result, per the team's Twitter account. "Made way too many mistakes and gave up too many big plays. ... We dug ourselves in a hole, but fought back."

"I feel the same. Feel very confident in our abilities on both sides of the ball," added Aaron Rodgers, per the Packers. "[We] played two very good opponents on [the] road."

While the Packers could take some solace in their fourth-quarter comeback, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is hoping to avoid repeating that near-collapse in the future.

"The ebbs and flows are getting to all of us," Rivera said, per Henson. "I know it's getting to me. We have to learn how to finish better."

Rivera did, however, have plenty of good things to say about Funchess, who caught three passes for 71 yards.

"To see [Funchess] come out and have a game like this, that was huge for him," the coach said, per the Panthers.