Lions vs. Panthers: The first thing to know is Carolina’s mounting injuries give Detroit a major Week 4 advantage, but there’s one matchup to watch that can hurt them
Carolina could be without key starters at cornerback and wide receiver while Bryce Young is also banged up, creating obvious opportunities for Detroit — provided the Lions can handle the Panthers’ potential counterpunch.
The Detroit Lions will play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday Night Football, and the first thing to know about Carolina is that injuries are hitting this team hard right now. The Panthers could be without both starting outside cornerbacks, their starting left guard is expected to miss time, and Bryce Young himself is dealing with a lower-body issue. That sounds like a golden opportunity for Detroit on both sides of the ball. It is. But there’s a wrinkle Lions fans should pay attention to.
Carolina’s secondary is in trouble
Jaycee Horn is already confirmed out with a significant quad injury. Mike Jackson left the Cleveland game last week with a groin injury, and his status for the Lions game is still up in the air. That would leave Carolina replacing both starting outside corners at the same time. The expected replacements are Akayleb Evans and rookie Will Lee III.
That’s a significant downgrade when you’re preparing to face Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa, and Jahmyr Gibbs. Detroit should test those replacements early and often. Make them communicate through motion, make them pass receivers off, make them defend the entire field. Find out how early Carolina plans to protect them with safety help, because that could create opportunities elsewhere for Gibbs and Sam LaPorta.
The offensive line problem makes things worse for Young
The injury that really jumps out on the other side of the ball is starting left guard Damien Lewis. Lewis is reportedly going to miss several weeks with an elbow injury. That matters because keeping Young clean was already a problem before Lewis went down.
According to Next Gen Stats, Cleveland pressured Young on 26 of his 50 dropbacks. That’s 52%. More than half of his passing opportunities involved somebody getting after him. Now he faces a Lions defense that produced five sacks and 24 pressures against the Jets, ranks third in the league in pressures, and sits second in sacks. That should be a significant opportunity for Detroit’s defensive front, especially on the interior. Alim McNeill and the rest of that group need to make Carolina’s replacement guard work. If you can collapse the middle while keeping Young contained on the outside, you can make it difficult for him to find a comfortable place to throw.
Pressure alone isn’t enough
Here’s the thing. Getting pressure and actually stopping the offense are two different things. Young still threw for 291 yards against Cleveland. The Lions just watched Geno Smith throw for 321 yards and three touchdown passes while Detroit sacked him five times.
You have to keep in mind that sometimes those numbers can look like an illusion. The Jets only ran for 58 yards, so they essentially abandoned the run and had to throw. It’s not exactly the same for the Panthers. They ran for 98 yards. Chuba Hubbard had a pretty decent game on the ground. So the Lions don’t just need pressure. They need pressure that ends possessions. They need incompletions, third-down stops, and sacks that put Carolina behind the sticks. They cannot keep getting close to the quarterback while somebody is getting open behind them.
The wrinkle: tight ends could be Carolina’s escape hatch
That brings me to the wrinkle. Carolina’s receivers are hurting too. Jalen Coker left the Browns game with a quad injury. Xavier Legette missed it with a knee injury. Their availability is something to watch throughout the week, but Dave Canales already pointed toward one answer: getting tight ends involved. He specifically praised Young for finding Darren Waller against Cleveland.
That should get Detroit’s attention. Buffalo hurt the Lions with its tight ends and heavy personnel. Against the Jets, Kenyon Sadiq had 105 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Jeremy Ruckert caught another. Against New Orleans, Detroit allowed two tight end touchdowns as well. If Carolina needs extra help protecting Young, it could put more tight ends on the field. Those players can help block, but they can also release into routes and challenge Detroit’s linebackers and safeties.
That’s the matchup to watch. Can the Lions attack Carolina’s protection without allowing those tight ends to become Young’s escape hatch?
The bottom line
There was some positive injury news for Carolina. Devin Lloyd is expected to return, and Nick Scott could be back as well. Practice reports throughout the week will determine exactly who Detroit is facing. But the picture is clear: Carolina is dealing with injuries that give the Lions opportunities on both sides of the ball. Detroit should be able to stress those replacement corners and make Young uncomfortable. The challenge is finishing the job once it creates that advantage and covering the answers Carolina uses to survive it.
More than anything, the Lions need to win once this week. They cannot put themselves in a position where they have to go ahead and win again, like they did against New Orleans and New York.
Detroit Lions News