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CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- The Green Bay Packers were more than happy to take what rookie Steve Smith gave them. Smith lost a pair of fumbles on kickoffs in the second half, and Brett Favre threw a touchdown pass following each miscue as the Packers rolled to a 28-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Trailing 7-6 at the half, the Packers took full advantage after the NFL's leading kickoff returner committed a pair of costly blunders. Smith, who entered the contest averaging 35 yards per return, fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half and cornerback Antuan Edwards recovered on the Carolina 38. Five plays later, Favre hooked up with Bill Schroeder, who made a beautiful catch in the back of the end zone, giving Green Bay the lead. Favre hit Antonio Freeman with the conversion for a 14-7 advantage. "We ran it in practice, and it was a little tricky out there," Schroeder said. "It was a good pass and I got my toes in." On the ensuing kickoff, Smith coughed up the ball again and K.D. Williams recovered on the 38. Six plays later, Favre hit tight end Bubba Franks for a six-yard touchdown pass, extending the Packers' lead to 21-7 with 8:37 left in the third quarter. "I fumbled. I made two mistakes," Smith said. "Obviously it cost us some scores. I really can't do anything about it. All I can do is improve and work harder. I've got to bounce back and work harder." "This is a humbling game. It's hard. Steve is going to learn from this and be a better play because of it," Panthers tight end Wesley Walls said. "I know that about him. We are going to help him." Favre also threw a five-yard touchdown to Cory Bradford early in the fourth quarter. The NFL's most durable quarterback, Favre went 25-of-39 for 308 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. "They had turnovers and did not get any points. We had turnovers and we got touchdowns," Packers coach Mike Sherman said. "Our offense responded. We took the field in the second half and were ready." It was the 29th career 300-yard game for Favre, who also moved into seventh place on the NFL's all-time list with 263 career touchdown passes. "We got down early and it didn't look good," Favre said. "The bottom line is that in the second half we made plays when we had to. Our team came up with two big turnovers and we were able to capitalize and get touchdowns of those two." Ryan Longwell kicked a pair of field goals for the Packers (3-0), who have won their last seven games dating to a 31-14 loss to Carolina here on November 27. In their first three games, the Packers have given up just 13 points. It is the fewest points they have given up after three games since they allowed seven in 1962. Chris Weinke tossed a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Wesley Walls in the second quarter for Carolina (1-2), which was playing its home opener. Following a scoreless first quarter, the Panthers were the first ones to put points on the scoreboard early in the second quarter. Weinke, a 29-year-old rookie, looked like a savvy veteran on the 11-play, 58-yard drive. His favorite target was tight end Wesley Walls, who had his consecutive games streak with at least one catch stopped at 87 in last week's loss at Atlanta. Walls had four catches on the drive, including a three-yard reception for a touchdown on 3rd-and-goal. Walls finished with those four catches for 33 yards. Weinke went 18-of-30 for 160 yards with an interception. The Panthers' signal-caller also was not helped by his lack of a ground game. Richard Huntley and Nick Goings combined for just 31 yards on 13 carries. Coming off a Monday night victory over Washington, the Packers struggled in the first quarter before finally getting things in gear after Carolina took the lead. Favre overcame a pair of early interceptions and moved the Packers 45 yards in nine plays on their first possession of the second quarter. That march culminated with Longwell's 42-yard field goal that pulled Green Bay within 7-3 with 8:26 left before halftime. Favre also directed an 11-play, 58-yard drive right before halftime. He had key completions of 20 yards to Schroeder and a 19-yard connection with running back Rondell Mealey on the march. But the Packers could reach the end zone and settled for Longwell's 46-yard field goal with 58 seconds left before intermission. Packers running back Ahman Green, who rushed for 273 yards in his first two games, was held to 53 on 19 carries. He was attempting to become the first player in the Packers' storied history to reach the 100-yard mark in the first three games of the season.
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