Carolina offense vs. Green Bay defense

	PANTHERS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	19
	Pass	5
	Tot. Yds.	7
	Scoring	6
	Int's allowed	15
	Sacks allowed	41
	PACKERS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	28
	vs. Pass	11
	Total yds. allowed	19
	# of Ints.	22
	# of Sacks	25
	Turnover differential	+4

The Panthers saw the opportunity to win a statement game slip through their collective hands last week against St. Louis.

QB Steve Beuerlein wasn't particularly effective but countless drops by his receivers contributed to a lousy 21-of-43, three-interception performance. Beuerlein was under steady pressure all afternoon and the offensive line needs to do a much better job in protection this week against a struggling Packers pass rush.

One bright spot was the play of rookie ROT Chris Terry, who held up particularly well against Pro Bowl-bound Kevin Carter. Terry will face another dominant edge rusher this week in Green Bay's Keith McKenzie, who had two sacks and a pressure last Sunday against the Bears.

Since OLB Brian Williams was lost at mid-season, defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas has gone away from the blitz and relied heavily on McKenzie's versatility on both sides of the line. Look for Thomas to continue using some three-man defensive fronts against the Panthers in order to mask the coverage problems of his linebackers.

Although he's easily the team's most athletic linebacker, Jude Waddy continues to get picked on in the passing game because of his propensity for blown assignments. The Panthers will look to exploit this weakness with TE Wesley Walls, who scored his tenth touchdown of the season against the Rams. Walls needs to be a presence down the middle of the field to give the wide receivers room to operate on the outside.

Green Bay DC Tyrone Williams is playing his best ball of the season because teams rarely test his deep coverage ability. Williams is playing the underneath routes with great confidence so look for the Panthers to attack the deep third of the field with WR's Patrick Jeffers or University of Wisconsin product Donald Hayes.

Carolina RB Tim Biakabutuka continues to lead the league with a 5.6 yards per carry average and the Packers will need strong games from DTs Santana Dotson and Gilbert Brown to stop him.

Although Brown continues to disappoint, Dotson is rounding back into form after a neck problem limited his effectiveness for weeks. Dotson is finally starting to make plays behind the line of scrimmage and needs to get good inside penetration against an offensive line that made Biakabututka improvise far too much last week.

The Panthers need to keep this game close early so that they aren't forced to abandon the run. Green Bay is allowing 125.9 yards per game on the ground this season and could be gashed for some long Biakabutuka gains if the secondary doesn't start tackling better.

Weather conditions could again play a role in Sunday's showdown in Lambeau and poor footing would seem to favor the Packers. Parker, who rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns, proved last week that he could be a classic "mudder" in the mold of former Packer RB Edgar Bennett, except with more speed.

Carolina did an excellent job of containing Marshall Faulk in the first half (11 att., 28 yds.) but they tired late in the game and surrendered yards in big chunks. If Parker can break through the line, he should have continued success against a defense that his coming off its worst tackling performance of the season.

Green Bay QB Brett Favre was sensational in the sloppy conditions last week, going 17-for-24 for 155 yards and a touchdown. Favre's offensive line, especially LOT Mike Wahle, is beginning to work through its struggles and discouraged the Bears from blitzing after a solid first quarter performance.

Aside from OLB Kevin Greene, who has nearly one-third of the team's sack total (9-of-28), defensive coordinator John Marshall's unit is struggling to get to the quarterback. The Panthers need to target the left side of the Green Bay line, where LOG Marco Rivera and Wahle are still working to develop a feel for one another.

Look for Favre to test Carolina's secondary early in hopes of capitalizing on their tendency to start slow. The Panthers have allowed seven touchdown passes the past two weeks and WR Antonio Freeman should be able to exploit a soft middle. Freeman, who caught six of the seven passes thrown his way against Chicago, including five that went for first downs, should make up for the team's lack of production in the middle of the field.

The Packers need TE Jeff Thomason to return this week because it's becoming apparent that Tyrone Davis was not meant for a starting role. Not only does he hurt them in the run game, Davis' struggles as a receiver allow opponents to double-team the outside receivers without fear of being burned between the hashes.