The Green Bay Packers suffered a surprising loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 that raised questions about their status as legitimate contenders.
Running back Rico Dowdle repeatedly broke through Green Bay’s defense while Packers quarterback Jordan Love struggled to establish any offensive rhythm.
The defeat was compounded by a season-ending torn ACL injury to tight end Tucker Kraft, leaving Green Bay without one of its most important offensive weapons.
Former Packers quarterback Matt Hasselbeck offered his perspective on the loss and dismissed concerns that the performance exposed deeper problems.
“They’re really good, they’re just young,” Hasselbeck said, “I think they took this team lightly. I think Carolina came in, and they were professional about it. Green Bay will learn from this. You know, for them, hopefully, they’re a lot better for it. Because, really, the [No. 1] seed was there for them. Now, the division is very, very tight. So … I still like this team, though. I’m not giving up on them. They just got to learn from it.”
“I think they took this team lightly…The 1 seed was there for them.”@colincowherd and @Hasselbeck react to the Packers bad loss to the Panthers pic.twitter.com/MUY62HLqUL
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 3, 2025
One week earlier, Green Bay appeared to be the best team in the NFC after dominating Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Love played with composure, and the defense controlled their former MVP QB.
Then Carolina arrived, and everything fell apart unexpectedly.
Hasselbeck said young teams can lose focus when adversity strikes during a game.
Losing Kraft in the second half likely drained some energy from the sideline and shifted attention away from execution.
The Micah Parsons trade transformed expectations around Green Bay almost immediately.
Fans began discussing Super Bowl possibilities with a roster that suddenly looked complete.
Maintaining that level of play will be more difficult without Kraft, who had become Love’s favorite receiving option.
Head coach Matt LaFleur must adjust his approach again, which has not been a strength so far this season.
