Honestly, when I saw that Tramon Williams was not playing and the Panthers got a big completion on their first play, I thought the Packers were going to lose. I really didn't start to feel better until they held the Panthers to a second straight field goal to make it 13-0. They had taken a couple of punches to the face and played really badly but were still within two scores. A few minutes later, they were within six points.
It seemed like almost every starter made at least one bad play today. It was just one of those games. There may have been a letdown after the emotional opening day win, followed by a 10-day layoff, and the absence of Tramon Williams was huge. Kudos to Charles Woodson for making some big plays in spite of being torched repeatedly by Steve Smith. Kudos to Clay Matthews as well for battling hard all day even though it was not one of his better games. That guy just doesn't quit. It seems like even if he had no talent, he would be playing in the NFL on sheer force of will.
Also, the run defense was superb. I think that's what set up the turnovers. The Panthers had to throw on almost every play, and it caught up to them in the third quarter. Let's hope they can play better against the pass from now on, though. The defensive stats are going to be a lot less fun to keep track of this year, the way things are going. I think they will get things shored up.