Packers’ red-zone defense comes up clutch again

The Green Bay Packers keep saving wins with clutch red-zone defense.

With backs against the wall, Mike Pettine’s group has made huge, game-changing plays, with the latest coming Sunday at Lambeau Field.

The Packers delivered an interception of Carolina Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen in the end zone in the third quarter and then the game-winning stop of Christian McCaffrey as time expired, preserving a 24-16 win that propelled Matt LaFleur’s team to an 8-2 record after 10 games.

“Great defenses want to be in that position,” safety Adrian Amos said Sunday. “They want to be in a position t the end of the game and have it in our hands to go and win the game. We’ve been winning different ways all season. We’ve won in every way imaginable.”

Time and time again, Pettine’s defense has toughened up in the scoring area.

In Week 1, Amos picked off Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the end zone in the fourth quarter, helping seal a 10-3 win. A week later, Kevin King intercepted Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in the end zone in the fourth quarter, preventing what could have been the go-ahead score. A few weeks later, King picked off Derek Carr in the end zone as the Oakland Raiders were attempting to mount a comeback.

Tramon Williams’ interception of Allen on Sunday was the Packers’ fourth in the end zone this season, which ranks first in the NFL.

The Packers actually stopped the Panthers on four straight plays from inside the 5-yard line to seal the win. An offside penalty on fourth down gave Carolina new life, but Allen threw wide of McCaffrey with four seconds left and then McCaffrey got stuffed short by a hoard of tacklers on the final play.

The Packers came into Sunday allowing touchdowns on just 49.3 percent of red-zone trips, the sixth-best mark in the NFL. They allowed the Panthers to score on 2-of-4 trips.

The Packers offense, on the other hand, scored on 3-of-4 trips, providing the difference in the game. The lone stop was a goal-line stand to end the first half. Pettine’s defense repaid the favor to end the second.

“We love the moments when the blood pressure is high and we know that we have to make a play and sure enough it came down to the last second of the game,” defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster said.