Jordan Love, Packers Host Panthers on Thursday Night

Jordan Love has been the best deep-ball thrower in football this season, and on Thursday night he gets a Carolina defense that just got run over at home. Love leads the NFL with 30 completions of 20-plus yards, and the Green Bay Packers (4-3) host the Carolina Panthers (3-3) at Lambeau Field at 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT), with Green Bay favored by 3 1/2.

Both teams are coming off ugly Sundays. The Packers lost 20-17 at Detroit after getting flagged seven times in the second half, and the Panthers got blown out 43-13 by Tampa Bay in Charlotte. Carolina also won this exact matchup 16-13 at Lambeau last November, though Bryce Young was quick to say that result "doesn't entitle us to anything."

Love's Big Plays Against a Leaky Run Defense

Green Bay leads the league with 33 plays from scrimmage of 20-plus yards, and Christian Watson has six touchdown catches, second in the NFL behind Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The problem has been the ground game. The Packers are running for an NFL-low 59.9 yards per game and have not topped 86 rushing yards in any game this season.

This might be the week that changes. Carolina is allowing a league-high 153.2 rushing yards per game, and Tampa Bay piled up 258 on Sunday in what Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown called an "embarrassing performance." Josh Jacobs made his season debut Sunday at Detroit, and now he gets his first look at the league's worst run defense by yards allowed.

If the Packers can actually lean on the run for once, Love's play-action shots downfield get a lot scarier.

The Packers Line Is Banged Up

Green Bay lost starting center Sean Rhyan and backup Jacob Monk in the Lions game, and Rhyan is out Thursday. Right guard Travis Glover (knee) is also out, and the Packers have used a different starting line combination in each of their first four games. Guard Aaron Banks was upgraded to a full participant and has no designation. Wide receiver Matthew Golden (shoulder/foot) returned to practice on a limited basis and is questionable, and linebacker Zaire Franklin (shin) is out for a second straight game.

A short week with a patched-together line is the last thing a quarterback wants, so keep an eye on how clean Love's pocket looks early.

Bryce Young Against a Ball-Hawking Secondary

Young ranks second in the NFL at 285.3 passing yards per game and has thrown a touchdown pass in eight straight games, playoffs included. Carolina ranks fifth in scoring at 26.5 points per game. The catch is pressure. Young has been pressured on 44.3 percent of his dropbacks against four or fewer rushers, the highest rate among qualified passers, and 15 of his 17 sacks have come on those plays.

That is a rough fit against this Green Bay defense, which generates pressure on 38.5 percent of dropbacks without blitzing (fourth in the league) and leads the NFL with nine interceptions, seven of them without a blitz. Safety Xavier McKinney already has three picks. Carolina has ruled out outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips (hamstring), cornerback Akayleb Evans (triceps/knee), guard Damien Lewis (knee) and offensive lineman Torricelli Simpkins (ankle).

Young getting the ball out fast to Tetairoa McMillan and company is the whole ballgame for Carolina.

Smacktok Pick Lean

Lean higher on Christian Watson's receiving yards. Love leads the league in 20-yard completions, Watson already has six touchdown catches, and Carolina will be without cornerback Akayleb Evans. If Jacobs gets the run game moving, the shot plays to Watson open up even more.