The Lions are headed back on the road Sunday night, and FanDuel Sportsbook has opened Detroit as a 3-point favorite over the Carolina Panthers.
It’s a matchup that puts a 2-1 Lions team against a Panthers squad that’s 1-2, but Carolina has already shown a few different versions of itself this season. In Week 1, the Panthers traded scores with the Bears before Chicago pulled away late in a 59-37 win.
A week later, Carolina responded with a 34-3 rout of the Falcons to even its record. Then came Sunday’s loss to Cleveland, a game that slipped away after the Panthers had clawed back into it.
The Browns built a 10-0 lead, but Carolina answered with four straight field goals to trim the deficit to 12-10 early in the fourth quarter. Cleveland added another field goal, and the Panthers finally found the end zone on their next drive, though they failed on the two-point try and were left down 18-13 with a little more than four minutes to go.
The defense couldn’t finish the job from there. The Browns scored a touchdown and converted the two-point attempt to move ahead 21-18, then picked off Bryce Young to close it out.
That performance may have offered Detroit a useful road map. Cleveland was effective against the run early, even if Carolina found some room later, and the Browns consistently got heat on Young.
PFF logged 29 pressures, and Next Gen Stats had pressure on 52% of Young’s dropbacks. Even so, Young still threw for 291 yards.
Carolina entered Dave Canales’ first season at 5-12, then improved enough last year to win the NFC South at 8-9 before the Rams knocked them out in the Wild Card round. The front office tried to build on that progress in a big way during the offseason.
The Panthers signed EDGE Jaelan Phillips to help replace DJ Wonnum, who joined the Lions, and added linebackers Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke to strengthen the defense. On offense, they brought in OT Rasheed Walker, center Luke Fortner to take over for Cade Mays, and running back AJ Dillon.
The draft added more to the mix. Carolina selected another starting tackle in Monroe Freeling, defensive tackle Lee Hunter in the second round, and wide receiver Chris Brazzell in the third round, though Brazzell is now on injured reserve.
In Other News...
Isaac TeSlaa May Be Giving The Lions Offense Something New
Isaac TeSlaas Week 3 breakout against the New York Jets gave the Lions another encouraging look at what their passing game can become when the opportunities arrive. He caught all three of his targets for 66 yards, and his work on crucial fourth-down plays and on the long grab that helped set up the game-winning score stood out in a game Detroit needed to finish strong after another uneven start.
What made TeSlaas night matter beyond the box score was the way he described his role. He pointed to the value of blocking and helping create chances for teammates, which fits a Lions offense that has often needed more consistency early in games before finding its rhythm later. If TeSlaa can keep adding that kind of versatility, Detroit may have found another piece that helps smooth out those slow starts. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Ended Up On The Wrong Side Of A Stafford Milestone
Matthew Stafford added another line to a career already packed with them, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to top 20,000 passing yards with two different franchises. He reached the mark with the Los Angeles Rams, building on the massive production he had already piled up during his long run with the Detroit Lions.
It came in a game against the Denver Broncos, where Stafford threw for 390 yards while crossing into rarefied territory again. For Lions fans, it is another reminder of how much of his rsum was built in Detroit, and how his work there still sits alongside what he has done since moving on. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Just Caught A Break Before A Favorable Week 4 Matchup
Jaycee Horns injury gives the Lions a little extra room to breathe heading into their Week 4 trip to Carolina. The Panthers cornerback suffered a torn quad in Week 3 and is expected to be out indefinitely, with injured reserve now a possibility, a tough blow for a pass defense that had been one of Carolinas best early-season strengths.
For Detroit, the timing matters because this matchup was already lining up as one it could attack through the air. Losing Horn changes the look of the Panthers secondary and could force Carolina to adjust on the fly, which is exactly the kind of wrinkle an offense wants to see before a road game. The Lions will still have to handle a defense that has played well overall, but the absence opens a clearer path than they were facing a week ago. [Read more 🡒]