CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers were so close to a Christmas miracle but the Green Bay Packers ended their dreams with a late field goal to keep their playoff hopes alive.
No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young showed flashes of brilliance in the game for the Panthers (2-13). He pulled the team back from down 14 points in the final minutes and put Carolina into field goal territory as time expired.
The Packers (7-8) 32-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining in the game to go up 33-30. Young guided the Panthers into scoring position in the closing seconds but was unable to stop the clock for a game-tying field goal attempt.
Before the Packers field goal, Young led two touchdown drives to tie the game at 30-30 late in the fourth quarter. It's the most points the Panthers have scored this season in a game and easily the best game of Young's career. Young passed for 312 yards and two touchdowns in the loss with no turnovers.
Green Bay worked early to get on the scoreboard. The Packers took their first drive 80 yards in just seven plays to score a touchdown on a short A.J. Dillon run. The drive was highlighted by a 46-yard pass from Jordan Love to Aaron Jones.
Carolina responded with a 52-yard Eddy Piñeiro field goal on its next drive but the Packers extended their lead to 10 with a Love touchdown run shortly after.
The Panthers ended a nine-quarter touchdown drought in the second quarter with a 20-yard end-around rushing score from Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
On Carolina's next possession, the Panthers made it into Green Bay territory but failed to convert on a 4th down. The Packers took the ensuing drive for a touchdown pass from Love to Dontayvion Wicks to go up 23-10 at halftime.
Young orchestrated a masterful drive to begin the second half to pull the Panthers within a score. Chuba Hubbard scored on a 4-yard run to make the game 23-16. The usually reliable Piñeiro missed the extra point after the score.
The Packers pulled away a bit with another touchdown on their next drive to go up 30-16.
Young found DJ Chark an 11-yard touchdown pass on the next drive. It was the first touchdown pass by Young since Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys. The Panthers went for a two-point conversion after the score, which Young converted with a run, but a holding penalty negated the score. Piñeiro missed the extra point once again on the retry, leaving the score 30-22
After a quick three-and-out, the Panthers were on the move again. Young threw a second touchdown to Chark and Raheem Blackshear picked up the two-point conversion to tie the game at 30-30 with four minutes left in the game.
The Packers benefited from a 36-yard pass from Love to Romeo Doubs on a third down to set them up in field goal range. Carolina challenged the play after it appeared Doubs lost control of the ball while going to the ground, but the catch call stood.
From there, Green Bay ran out the rest of the clock to set up for a field goal, which Anders Carlson converted to give the Packers the win.
This article will be updated.