Week 44, 2026 (Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2026)

Short-week prime-time games at Lambeau Field rarely turn into track meets when both offensive lines are patched together with duct tape. Green Bay enters Thursday night missing starting center Sean Rhyan and right guard Travis Glover, forcing Matt LaFleur to reshuffle his interior protection against a Carolina defense that ranks sixth in pressure rate. On the other sideline, Dave Canales lost mainstay right tackle Taylor Moton to injured reserve after Sunday's game and will also be without starting left guard Damien Lewis, leaving the Panthers with just seven healthy offensive linemen on the active roster to block Green Bay's front. Even when Jordan Love moves the chains between the twenties, the Packers stall out inside the twenty-yard line, ranking thirtieth in the league in red-zone touchdown efficiency and converting just 35.17 percent of their third downs. Those stalled drives are even harder to cash in with rookie kicker Trey Smack, who is converting only 68.8 percent of his field goals and has missed four kicks over the last three weeks. Green Bay's defense ranks sixth in points allowed per play at 0.313, which is why the Packers have stayed under the total in four straight games while averaging just 35.5 combined points over that stretch. These two teams combined for just 29 points in a 16-13 grind at Lambeau Field last November, and all three of Carolina's road games this season have finished with 39 points or fewer.