The Detroit Lions came into Saturday’s game confident of the way they had played. If they could close out each of their last three games with a win, they would almost certainly qualify for the playoffs – a dream scenario considering their 1-6 start.
But from the start of their game against the Carolina Panthers, they were physically outplayed. Carolina controlled the line of scrimmage, as running backs D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard each had 100 rushing yards at halftime. The Lions offense couldn’t keep up due to an early and costly turnover from Jared Goff and a running game that continues to struggle.
The Panthers led 24-7 at halftime and the Lions couldn’t even improve on the final score in a second half in which the two teams appeared to be clashing.
The loss does not exclude the Lions from the playoffs, but their road will be much more difficult. And if they play like that again, they have absolutely no chance of finishing among the top seven NFC teams. Hopefully this is a wake-up call for the Lions and not a crushing final blow to their season.
Here’s how Saturday’s game went.
first quarter
The Lions won the toss and deferred, giving the ball to the Panthers first. Carolina got off to a promising start with a 30-yard run from Chuba Hubbard around the left end. He followed that up with a 35-yard run on the next play, and the Panthers were already in the red zone. A few plays later, quarterback Sam Darnold threw the option, threw it to Raheem Blackshear, and the Panthers scored after just five ground plays. 7-0 Panthers.
The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Lions offense a good starting position on their own 40-yard line. After two incomplete passes, Jared Goff went deep on DJ Shark, who caught a contested catch for a big 39-yard gain.
From there, the Lions picked up another third clutch with a 13-yard gain to Amon-Ra St. Brown that put the Lions first and goal. The Lions quickly cashed in with a touchdown pass in game action to Shane Zylstra. 7-7 draws.
The Panthers’ run game continued to soar against the Lions defense. D’Onta Foreman exploded for 21 yards on the first rush of the next drive. A false start and a tackle for loss from Alim McNeill forced the Panthers to a third-and-6 in midfield, but Ian Thomas dropped a potential first down (which would have been called up for a penalty). Carolina threw at Detroit’s 9-yard line.
Detroit came out of its own end zone with a second pass to rookie James Mitchell that went 22 yards. Then Goff completed a pass to his third different tight end with Brock Wright that put Detroit in midfield with an 11-yard gain. St. Brown held a tough hold for 19 extra yards to the Panthers’ 34-yard line.
The hold pushed Amon-Ra St. Brown beyond 1,000 yards, becoming the youngest Lions player to do so.
The Lions found themselves in another sticky spot: fourth-and-1 from the Panthers 22-yard line, and Detroit picked it up with Jamaal Williams pushing forward for 2 yards and into the red zone. The Lions were in the lead at the end of the first quarter.
second quarter
Kalif Raymond put the Lions in a goal situation with a shrewd endgame, but it was all for naught. Goff missed the next instant rally and Panthers defenseman Yetur Gross-Matos recovered on his own 9-yard line.
The Lions defense continued to struggle. A play action pass to Tommy Tremble immediately picked up 18 yards for Carolina. Foreman then broke some tackles for another explosive run, this time for 38 yards. They pushed inside the 5-yard line with an optional run from Darnold. He did it again two plays later for a 3-yard touchdown and a 14-7 Panthers lead.
Detroit quickly went to three, as back-to-back passes from Goff were knocked down the line.
A waiting penalty on the punt got the Panthers back inside their own 10-yard line, but it didn’t matter much. Darnold hit Terrace Marshall Jr. for a 36-yard strike with Jerry Jacobs in tight coverage to move to midfield. Foreman followed that up with a 21-yard run and just as the Panthers were in scoring position again. A fourth-and-inch quarterback kept the drive alive. A few plays later, Foreman hit him for a 4-yard touchdown. 21-7 Panthers.
Detroit had two minutes to reduce the game to a score. Instead, they went three more times, giving the Panthers 59 seconds to add to their lead. Another explosive ground play – a 33-yard gain from Hubbard – quickly brought Carolina into midfield. A penalty on each team kept the Panthers out of the end zone, but they got close enough to tack on a field goal and go to halftime with a 24-7 Panthers lead.
third quarter
The Lions offense couldn’t start the second half as Goff was sacked on third down by Brian Burns for Detroit’s third straight three-and-out.
The Panthers drove into midfield and found themselves in a third-and-13. The Lions sent pressures that didn’t get there and Darnold found DJ Moore for a 47-yard bomb.
He returned straight to Moore for a 5-yard bubble screen for another touchdown. 31-7 Panthers
After the team traded punts, the Lions closed the gap late in the third quarter. A 56-yard bomb to Kalif Raymond put Detroit within striking distance, and Goff found Zylstra for a 7-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Detroit opted to go for two, but fell short. 31-13 Panthers.
fourth trimester
A personal foul penalty from Isaiah Baggs helped the Panthers get to the basket, and Carolina scored three more points with just over 13 minutes left in the game. 34-13 Panthers.
Detroit had the opportunity to cut it to a two-point lead, but they failed to convert on a fourth-and-5 from deep in Panthers territory, and it was the curtains after that.
Zylstra would add a trash can touchdown with four minutes left, his third of the day. 34-20 Panthers.
But a missed kick would put the final nail in the coffin, and the teams would trade field goals to make the final score 37-23 Panthers.
The loss drops the Lions to 7-8 this season and puts playoff talk to an abrupt end. The playoffs aren’t out of reach for the Lions, but there’s no room for error anymore.
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