For the second time this season, the Detroit Lions are in primetime—this time on Sunday night.
We had the pleasure of connecting with Walker Clement, the Deputy Brand Manager for Cat Scratch Reader, to give us some insight into this Panthers team ahead of this week’s matchup. We learned about the “Jekyll and Hyde” nature of Bryce Young, a team that’s trying to fight its way through some untimely injuries, and the aggressive-minded defensive coordinator in charge of getting the most out of what he’s
got left in personnel—and much more.
1. The Panthers’ offense ranks 11th in EPA/play, averaging a league-high 295.7 passing yards per game. What’s been key in the Panthers’ hot start in the passing game, and how much would they miss Xavier Legette (knee, missed last game) and Jalen Coker (quad) if they’re unable to suit up for Carolina?
A finally-poised Bryce Young has made all the difference for the Panthers this year. When he is comfortable, the Panthers move the ball. When he is not, they stall. There has been no semblance of a consistent, successful run game that keeps his throws to manageable downs and distances, either. Young has been attacking deep and often with success.
You may read that as “put Young under pressure” and that is only partially true. He was rattled against the Browns and then pressure threw him off his game. He was under similar amounts of pressure against the Bears and Falcons and had better days. What was the difference? For one part, he fared worse against man coverage blitzes. For another, there has always been an element of Jekyll and Hyde to Young’s professional career. It depends on which Young shows up.
As for receivers, it depends far more on if Coker can suit up than Legette. The former UDFA is the bread and butter of this passing attack while the former first-round pick has about used up all the patience and credit that this long-suffering fanbase has to spare.
2. According to Next Gen Stats, Chuba Hubbard played his highest rate of offensive snaps (83.8%) last week against Cleveland since Week 15 of 2024. With Jonathan Brooks on injured reserve, do you expect Hubbard to continue carrying the load for the Panthers out of the backfield? What’s your level of confidence in Hubbard? Who else will Carolina turn to at running back?
Hubbard is a smart, reliable player. I am not convinced that he is as quick as he used to be. I spent a lot of the Lions game watching the offensive line open holes for him only to have them close before he was able to get there. I really hope I am wrong.
His top back up right now is AJ “Quadzilla” Dillon. The former ACC rookie of the year and All-Time Rushing Yards Leader for Boston College has not done a lot since entering the league in 2020. He was a semi-productive RB2 for Green Bay after being drafted in the second round and has been trying to find a home and a role in this league after his rookie contract ended.
We’ll see if he can translate a strong preseason into something more this week. With rain in the forecast, you can imagine him getting an opportunity no matter what the score is.
3. Carolina placed both Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson Jr. on IR prior to this game. Without both of their starting cornerbacks, who will step up in their absence with the tall task of covering Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams? Do you foresee defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero being even more aggressive when it comes to sending extra defenders on blitzes–where the Panthers already rank seventh in the NFL (37.6%)?
I foresee Evero getting a lot of flack for once again having to cobble a defense together out of spare parts and grit. The Panthers are digging their roster out of a deep hole that was dug by the malpractices of former head coach Matt Rhule and former general manager Scott Fitterer. They are a better roster than they were, but that doesn’t mean they are actually good. You can read more about the depth and free agent options available at cornerback here. It is not an inspiring situation.
As for Evero’s ability to dial up pressure? That’s a tough one. On the one hand, you don’t want to ask your young, inexperienced corners to cover for a second longer than you have to. On the other hand, the more people you send after the quarterback, the better your young, inexperienced corners have to hold up in coverage until the pressure gets home.
I see him holding steady with what he already does and getting burned with and without blitzes.
4. While the Panthers have been bitten particularly badly by the injury bug, it does look like they’re going to get linebacker Devin Lloyd back this week. Dan Campbell mentioned defensive lineman Derrick Brown in his press conference on Wednesday as the leader of a sound and aggressive unit. What sort of impact will Lloyd, Brown, Jaelan Phillips–Carolina’s big free-agent signing this offseason–and the rest of this Panthers’ front-seven bring on Sunday night?
We have to hope for a giant impact. Lloyd had one of the best games a Panthers linebacker has ever had in Week 2 against the Falcons. That’s either saying something about Lloyd given his company is Dan Morgan, Jon Beason, and Luke Kuechly, or it’s saying something about the current state of Cooper Rush. Either way, with Horn and Jackson both out for an extended period, Lloyd is going to have his work cut out for him marshalling a defense against a quarterback who might be better than Rush.
On the injury bug comment, keep in mind that the team that lost to the Browns was missing RT1, LT1, LG1, their top backup OL, WR2, WR3, RB2, RB3, CB1, CB2, S1, ILB1, OLB2, and DT2 from their preseason projections. They are hopeful to return WR2, WR3, S1, and ILB1. They are fearful they may lose RT2 and OLB3 at the same time. It is an absurd amount of talent to have missing both practice and game time this early in the season.
5. The Panthers opened as 3-point underdogs heading into Week 4 against Detroit. Since then the line has moved to the Lions being a 3.5-point favorite over at FanDuel Sportsbook. What’s one thing you want to see, what’s one thing you need to see, and one thing you’re sure you’ll see happen in this matchup between the Lions and Panthers on Sunday night?
I want to see rookie corner Will Lee III get an interception. He has been so close several times in recent weeks, including a drop that would have been a touchdown against the Browns. He has also made his share of big rookie mistakes. Getting a pick could do wonders for his confidence going into the bye week.
I need to see Bryce Young settle back into the poised, comfortable rhythm he showed off against the Bears and the Falcons. That’s the quarterback he was drafted first overall to be and that’s the quarterback he has not been for 90+% of his time in Charlotte so far. Two weeks to start the season is a tease. Three out of four weeks could be taken as a sign of actual improvement.
I am sure I will see a Lions win. The mounting injuries for the Panthers are too much, too early. We thought the Week 4 bye week was too early and now we’re worried it might be too late to salvage the season.
The Lions stood a decent chance of winning with where things stood at the start of the season. Now they should have little trouble with the shambling corpse of their own potential that the Panthers will be fielding on Sunday.
