Carolina Panthers produce ‘Sunday Night Football’ game for the ages to beat Lions
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After seeing that performance, “Sunday Night Football” might want to come back to Charlotte more often.
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Playing their first game on the SNF prime-time showcase in 10 years, the Carolina Panthers got monstrous performances from a trio of offensive stars and upset the Detroit Lions, 32-26, at Bank of America Stadium.
With Tetairoa McMillan having the second-best wide receiver performance I’ve ever seen in 32 years of covering the Panthers — 14 receptions, 192 yards and two touchdowns — Carolina scored (2-2) on six straight possessions spanning most of the first and second halves. Quarterback Bryce Young (29-for-41 for 329 passing yards, two TDs and zero turnovers) was masterful, catching the Lions off guard repeatedly with run-pass option plays in which he would sling it to T-Mac.
At several points during the game, Young’s play was so impeccable that he heard a new chant from the fans at Bank of America Stadium: “MVP! MVP!”
And then there was running back Chuba Hubbard, who scored twice and broke several long runs on his way to a 100-yard day.
Detroit (2-2) and its powerful offense stayed nearly step for step with the Panthers, but was forced to settle for field goals on four separate occasions. That ultimately was the difference, as the Panthers were far more effective in the red zone in an entertaining game that at one point featured scores on nine straight possessions.
The whole night went better for a Panther fan base and team that came into this one banged up and also expecting a soggy night with constant rain.
Instead, the rain stayed away and the Panthers somehow made up for missing their two starting cornerbacks, numerous players on the offensive line (including rookie tackle Monroe Freeling, who left with a knee injury) and No. 2 wide receiver Jalen Coker.
It helped immensely that McMillan, who barely seemed to be in the game the week before in a loss to Cleveland, was everywhere.
The only wideout performance I would rank above it was Steve Smith going for 12 receptions, 218 yards and two TDs against Chicago in January 2006. The difference: That game came in the playoffs and Chicago’s defense was far better than Detroit’s.
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But this was easily the best game of McMillan’s career. He had career highs in receptions (nine) and yardage (147) at halftime. The Lions doubled him for much of the second half, but Young was able to find enough other targets to keep the chains moving.
When I talked to NBC Sports broadcaster Cris Collinsworth before the game, he noted the teams’ two injury-ravaged defenses and said: “Maybe we get 50-49 out of this one.”
It didn’t quite get there, but no Panther fans weren’t complaining. Carolina now enters its bye week on a high and with some welcome time to get back a few of its key players. Coker, for one, should be healthy for the Panthers’ next game Oct. 18 at Philadelphia.
The Panthers pulled out a lot of stops for their first “SNF” appearance since 2016 and their first home “SNF” appearance since 2015. Well-known wrestler Charlotte Flair hit the “Keep Pounding” drum. Every aisle had colored lights that were synchronized — a nice addition for a night game. There was a lot of Honolulu Blue in the lower bowl — Lions fans don’t get to see their team in Charlotte very often — but they had been quieted by the end.
Kudos go not only to the Panthers offense but to a defense that bent a lot but rarely broke. The Panthers gave up numerous big plays but then stood firm inside the 20 numerous times, pressuring Jared Goff off his spot. Goff threw for 412 yards but didn’t have a touchdown pass for the game’s first 56 minutes, until he hit Sam LaPorta with an 8-yard TD pass.
That got Detroit to within 32-26 with 3:38 to go — Carolina was hurt considerably by not one but two missed extra points by Ryan Fitzgerald.
The Lions still had all three of their timeouts at that point, so the Panthers needed a couple of first downs to seal the game. They only got one, on an astounding catch by McMillan to convert a 3rd-and-14.
But then the Lions got it back at their own 13 with 2:06 to go, 87 yards away from a game-winning touchdown. They never got past their own 25, however, as the Panthers defense came up big one more time and “Sweet Caroline” boomed over the loudspeakers. It was 11:40 p.m. by then.
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But, to Panthers fans, the night was still young.
