Packers want to maintain focus for Panthers game with Eagles rematch looming

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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — All the elements are in place for a possible Green Bay Packers letdown.

The Packers are coming off an emotional victory over former Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. A rematch of last season’s playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles is a week away. All that stands in the Packers’ way is a Lambeau Field matchup Sunday with a Carolina Panthers team that just got blown out at home.

Green Bay is confident it won’t get caught looking ahead. The Packers are intent on avoiding the mistakes that led to their lone loss of the season.

“We’ve been in this position before,” quarterback Jordan Love said.

Indeed, the Packers stumbled through a 13-10 defeat at Cleveland just before a highly anticipated trip to Dallas for Micah Parsons’ first matchup against his former team. The Packers ended up tying Dallas 40-all but have won three straight since.

Green Bay (5-1-1) owns the NFC’s best record but doesn’t have much margin for error in a conference featuring six teams with two or fewer losses.

“We’ve got enough to worry about just within ourselves and a lot of growth in front of us,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “If we want to play our best football, we should only be worried about today and this game and nothing else outside of that.”

Carolina won four of its first seven games, an impressive accomplishment for a franchise that has suffered double-digit losses in each of the last six seasons. But the Panthers (4-4) got a reality check Sunday with a 40-9 loss at Buffalo in which veteran quarterback Andy Dalton filled in for the injured Bryce Young.

Now comes a second straight matchup with a team that made the playoffs last season.

“These are the types of matchups that we need to continue to push our football forward and find out a lot of information about who we are right now,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said.

The Packers know they can’t take anything for granted.

“I think we’ve learned that you can never look past any team,” Love said. “You’ve got to take it one week at a time and you’ve got to be your best on Sunday.”

Young returned to practice this week, and the Panthers are optimistic he will play after sitting out last week with an ankle injury. Young had won three straight starts before missing the Buffalo game.

Dalton has a broken thumb and was limited in practice on Thursday.

If Young and Dalton were both sidelined, the Panthers’ options would include Hendon Hooker and Mike White.

Parsons has a league-leading 44 quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. Parsons, who was named the NFC defensive player of the month, represents an imposing challenge for a Carolina offense that allowed seven sacks against Buffalo.

Parsons has 6 1/2 sacks and Rashan Gary has a team-high 7 1/2. Gary delivered two sacks against the Steelers.

Canales appears ready to give Rico Dowdle the bulk of Carolina’s carries this week.

Chuba Hubbard and Dowdle had alternated series over the past two weeks, but Dowdle has clearly been more productive.

“We cannot ignore the fact that Rico has been exceptional,” Canales said.

Dowdle amassed 473 yards from scrimmage in back-to-back wins over Miami and Dallas while Hubbard was out with a calf injury. Dowdle ran for 133 yards on 25 carries the past two weeks, while Hubbard was limited to 65 yards on 26 carries with one touchdown.

The Panthers have struggled this season defending tight ends, which means Tucker Kraft could be in for another big day.

Kraft had nine receptions for 143 yards and two TDs in the Packers' win at Pittsburgh.

While the Panthers were able to hold Buffalo’s Dalton Kincaid in check on Sunday, New England’s Hunter Henry, Miami’s Darren Waller and Dallas’ Jake Ferguson all put up big games against Carolina.

Green Bay is looking to get its running game in gear after gaining just 94 yards on the ground in each of its last two games. The Packers averaged 3.6 yards per rush against Pittsburgh, and Josh Jacobs was limited to 33 yards on 13 carries.

Jacobs could have an easier time against Carolina, which allowed Buffalo’s James Cook to rush for a career-high 216 yards.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

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