The Carolina Panthers beat the Detroit Lions 32-26 on Sunday night at Bank of America Stadium by finishing drives with touchdowns. Carolina found the end zone 4 times to Detroit's 2, and the Lions had to lean on Jake Bates' leg all night.
Detroit actually outgained Carolina slightly and committed no turnovers. Neither did Carolina, which left finishing drives and running the ball as the separators. The Panthers won both.
How It Happened
Bates opened the scoring with a 54-yard field goal at 12:05 of the first quarter. Carolina answered late in the period when Chuba Hubbard ran in from 15 yards to take the lead.
The second quarter was a trade. Bates hit from 43, then Bryce Young found Tetairoa McMillan for a 32-yard touchdown, though Ryan Fitzgerald missed the extra point. Jahmyr Gibbs punched in a 1-yard run to tie it.
Fitzgerald put Carolina back in front with a 47-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in the half. Bates matched it from 41 as time expired, and the teams went to the locker room tied.
Carolina took control in the third quarter. Young and McMillan connected again from 10 yards out, though Fitzgerald missed his second extra point. Detroit stalled and took a 26-yard Bates field goal, then Hubbard scored from 2 yards to stretch the lead.
Fitzgerald added a 33-yard field goal at 8:59 of the fourth quarter. Jared Goff hit Sam LaPorta for an 8-yard touchdown with 3:38 left, but Detroit got no closer.
Key Performers
Bryce Young: 2 TD passes, both to Tetairoa McMillan
Tetairoa McMillan: 2 TD receptions – 32 and 10 YDS
Chuba Hubbard: 2 rushing TD – 15 and 2 YDS
Jake Bates: 4 field goals – 54, 43, 41 and 26 YDS
Carolina rushing: 28 ATT, 127 YDS
Detroit passing: 32-52, 406 net YDS
Hubbard accounted for both of Carolina's rushing touchdowns. The Panthers ran 28 times for 127 yards and picked up 10 first downs on the ground, and they finished well ahead in possession time.
Detroit's offense was almost entirely through the air. The Lions ran for just 46 yards on 15 carries.
What It Means
Both teams leave at 2-2. For Detroit, the loss sharpens a clear pattern: the Lions are 2-0 at home and 0-2 on the road. They have yet to win away from home this season.
The road problem here was not volume. Detroit moved the ball, but converted just 4 of 12 third downs and 1 of 3 fourth downs. Bates kicked four field goals, and every one of them was a drive that ended short of the end zone.
Carolina evens its home record at 1-1 and goes 1-1 on the road as well. The Panthers went 2 for 2 on fourth down and survived two missed extra points, which is the kind of game that only stays a win if the red zone holds up.
The edge in this one went to the team that could run. Until Detroit finds a ground game on the road, its passing totals will keep looking better than its results.