Carolina takes control after halftime
The Carolina Panthers beat the Detroit Lions 32-26 at Bank of America Stadium in Week 4, riding big performances from Tetairoa McMillan and Chuba Hubbard to even their record at 2-2. The teams reached halftime tied at 16 before Carolina outscored Detroit 13-3 in the third quarter. That gave the Panthers a 29-19 lead entering the fourth, enough of a cushion to withstand Detroit's 7-3 scoring edge in the final period. The Lions also moved to 2-2, following their Week 3 win over the New York Jets with a road loss. Carolina rebounded from an 18-21 loss at Cleveland.
McMillan leads a productive Panthers offense
McMillan finished with 14 receptions on 16 targets for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He accounted for more than half of Bryce Young's 329 passing yards and caught both of his touchdown passes. Young completed 29 of 41 attempts, while Hubbard gave Carolina substantial production on the ground. Hubbard ran 20 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He added one reception for seven yards. John Metchie III caught three passes for 37 yards, and Darren Waller added three catches for 36 yards.
Detroit's passing volume falls short
Jared Goff threw for 412 yards, completing 32 of 52 passes with one touchdown. Jameson Williams led Detroit in receiving yards with 102 on six catches from eight targets. Sam LaPorta drew 13 targets and caught eight passes for 84 yards and Detroit's lone passing touchdown. Amon-Ra St. Brown also made eight catches, turning 11 targets into 75 yards. Jahmyr Gibbs scored on the ground but finished with 46 rushing yards on 15 carries. He added four receptions for 31 yards on seven targets.
Fantasy production centers on McMillan
McMillan's 45.2 PPR points led the game by a wide margin. His combination of 14 catches, 192 yards and two scores delivered the strongest fantasy return, with Hubbard next at 25.9 points. LaPorta led Detroit's listed fantasy scorers with 22.4 PPR points. His 13 targets and touchdown made him a major part of the Lions' passing production. Young finished with 21.5 points, Goff had 20.5 and kicker Jake Bates contributed 18.0. Gibbs posted 17.7 PPR points, followed by Williams at 16.2 and St. Brown at 15.5.
Next opponents
Detroit visits the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5 on Oct. 11 at 4:25 p.m. ET. Carolina's next game is at the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6 on Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. ET.