Green Bay Packers' Tucker Kraft runs after a catch during the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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.

Carolina (4-4) at Green Bay (5-1-1), Sunday, noon, Fox.

BetMGM line: Packers by 13 1/2.

Against the spread: Panthers 5-3; Packers 3-4

Series record: Packers lead 12-6

Last meeting: Packers won 33-30 at Carolina on Dec. 24, 2023.

Last week: Panthers lost 40-9 at home to the Buffalo Bills; Packers won 35-25 at Pittsburgh.

Panthers offense: overall (20), rush (5), pass (29), scoring (27)

Packers offense: overall (7), rush (16), pass (7), scoring (5t)

Panthers defense: overall (11), rush (16), pass (10), scoring (20)

Packers defense: overall (6), rush (3), pass (15), scoring (10)

Turnover differential: Panthers minus-5; Packers plus-1

Panthers player to watch

WR Tetairoa McMillan, the No. 8 overall pick in the draft, is in the midst of a solid season with 37 receptions for 512 yards and two TDs in eight games, while averaging 13.8 yards per catch. The Panthers would like to get him into the end zone more often — one of his specialties while at the University of Arizona — but McMillan has been drawing a lot of double coverage in the red zone.

Packers player to watch

TE Tucker Kraft scored two touchdowns and set career highs in catches (seven) and yards receiving (143) against the Steelers. He has caught a touchdown pass in each of the Packers’ three home games this season. Kraft has 30 receptions for 469 yards and six touchdowns already this season. The only other tight ends ever to have at least 30 catches, 450 yards receiving and six touchdowns and an average of 15.5 yards per reception through the first seven games of a season are Jimmy Graham in 2013 and Rob Gronkowski in 2015.

Key matchup

Panthers running game vs. Packers run defense: Carolina is rushing for 136.9 yards per game to rank fifth in the league. Rico Dowdle had two massive games against Miami and Dallas in which he amassed 473 yards from scrimmage. Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard split carries the past two weeks after Hubbard returned from a calf injury. However, coach Dave Canales has finally admitted that Dowdle’s production has been too great to ignore and appears ready to give him a bigger share of the workload against Green Bay. He has a tough challenge ahead. Green Bay is allowing just 78.9 yards rushing per game to rank third in run defense.

Key injuries

Panthers: OG Brady Christensen is out for the season after tearing his Achilles tendon Sunday. C Cade Mays (ankle/knee) and OLB Princely Umanmielen (ankle) also have been ruled out for this game. OG Damien Lewis (oblique), OT Taylor Moton (knee), S Nick Scott (groin), LB Trevin Wallace (shoulder), OG Chandler Zavala (knee) and backup QB Andy Dalton (right thumb) are questionable. Starting QB Bryce Young has no injury designation and is expected to play Sunday after missing the Buffalo game with an ankle issue.

Packers: DL Lukas Van Ness (foot) and WR Dontayvion Wicks (calf) are out for a second straight week. LB Nick Niemann (pectoral) also has been ruled out. K Brandon McManus (right quadricep) and LB Quay Walker (calf) are questionable.