Aaron Rodgers, Packers Beat Panthers 24-16 Behind Aaron Jones' 145 Rushing Yards

The Green Bay Packers remain in control of their destiny for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs after a 24-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field on Saturday night.

The Packers entered Week 15 in the driver's seat for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Their 10-3 record was tied with the New Orleans Saints for best in the conference, but they have the edge in a tiebreaker thanks to their head-to-head win in Week 3.

Standing in Green Bay's path this week was a Panthers team that has now lost eight of their last nine games after starting the season 3-2.

On a night when Aaron Rodgers wasn't at his best, Aaron Jones and the defense carried the Packers to victory. 

Jones ran for 145 yards, with 114 coming in the first half alone. The defense did allow 353, but took advantage of a Teddy Bridgewater fumble near the goal line that Kevin King returned 48 yards to set up a Jones touchdown seven plays later. 

Notable Game Stats

• Aaron Rodgers, QB (GB): 20-of-29, 143 yards, TD; 4 carries, 26 yards, TD
• Aaron Jones, RB (GB): 20 carries, 145 yards, TD
• Davante Adams, WR (GB): 7 receptions, 42 yards
• Teddy Bridgewater, QB (CAR): 21-of-35, 258 yards; 4 carries, 26 yards, TD
• D.J. Moore, WR (CAR): 6 receptions, 131 yards
• Mike Davis, RB (CAR): 14 carries, 59 yards

Dominant Rushing Game Makes Packers More Dangerous

When you have a Hall-of-Fame quarterback still playing at the top of his game, your team has a wide margin for error. Rodgers has certainly done his part to carry the Packers throughout this season, but Saturday provided an opportunity to let another offensive star shine. 

Jones has been regarded as one of the NFL's best running backs since last season when he led the league with 16 rushing touchdowns. He's been even better in 2020 with 5.1 yards per attempt and averaging a career-high 74.8 yards per game entering Week 15. 

Both of those numbers are going up after what Jones did to Carolina's defense. The 26-year-old has received limited use in recent weeks from head coach Matt LaFleur. He had 15 or fewer carries seven times in the previous eight games. 

Jones made it easy for LaFleur to decide to use him more often this week. He had 92 yards from scrimmage on the Packers' first two drives and helped set up Rodgers' six-yard touchdown run on the second drive. 

This wasn't a game that the Packers will want to put on a highlight reel. Rodgers struggled with his accuracy against the Panthers defense. The offensive line wasn't doing much to help, allowing five sacks. The offense had five straight drives end in a punt after scoring touchdowns on their first three drives. 

Green Bay hasn't been so dominant this season that it can expect to march through the NFC playoffs. But the pieces are in place, thanks in large part to Rodgers, Jones and Davante Adams, for the Packers to reach the promised land. 

Rodgers and Adams have had their moments throughout the season, and certainly will moving forward. Jones was the shining star on Saturday to rescue the otherwise lifeless offense against an inferior opponent. 

Young Panthers Roster Showing Signs of Life

Based on their 4-10 record after Saturday's loss, it's easy to assume that the Panthers are having a difficult season. Certainly, there have been issues through the first 15 weeks. But that's largely by design based on how the front office put this team together. 

General manager Marty Hurney left no doubt that he wanted to rebuild the foundation after Luke Kuechly retired last offseason. He used each of the team's seven picks in the 2020 NFL draft on defensive players. 

The youth movement has been in full swing for the Panthers since the season began. They entered their matchup with the Packers having given the most snaps to rookies in the NFL. 

First-year head coach Matt Rhule and his staff have done a terrific job of getting those young players to develop over the course of the year. Safety Jeremy Chinn and defensive tackle Derrick Brown were coming off strong games against the Denver Broncos and picked up right where they left off on Saturday. 

Rodgers came into this game playing his best football of the season. The MVP hopeful was completing 75 percent of his passes for 796 yards and 10 touchdowns over the past three games. He looked lost at times against this defense and was never able to break off a big chunk throw down the field. 

This isn't the first time the Panthers have shown promise against a quality opponent. They defeated the Arizona Cardinals 31-21 in Week 4, with the defense only giving up 262 yards. 

If the Panthers can turn these flashes of defensive dominance into consistent play, their path back to playoff contention won't take very long. 

What's Next?

The Panthers will play their final road game of the season Dec. 27 against the Washington Football Team. The Packers will wrap up their regular-season home schedule Dec. 27 in prime time against the Tennessee Titans on NBC's Sunday Night Football.