Tag: Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions

Lions vs. Panthers: What I learned from film study of Detroit’s Week 5 win

Breaking down notes and observations from the Detroit Lions game film in the Week 5 win over the Panthers

Some Detroit Lions film reviews are more fun than others. That’s certainly the case for the Week 5 review of Detroit’s 42-24 demolishing of visiting Carolina.

Watching the broadcast feed for a second time as well as poring over the coach’s tape of the Lions win was incredibly encouraging. The Lions dominated the Panthers despite playing without three important starters, sweet retribution for the debacle Detroit experienced when last the two teams met on Christmas Eve.

Here are some notes and observations from the film review of the Week 5 tape.

 

Best and Worst PFF grades for the Lions Week 5 win over the Panthers

Here are the Detroit Lions best and worst PFF performers with this victory over the Carolina Panthers

The Detroit Lions seem to be a force to reckon with after a convincing 45-24 win against the Carolina Panthers. With a 4-1 record for the season, they show no signs of slowing down.

Despite missing key offensive players, the Lions were able to control the game. They dominated every aspect of the game, moving the ball with ease against the Panthers defense. The Lions defense was also strong, keeping everything in check and frustrating rookie quarterback Bryce Young. This was one of the most complete games the Lions have played in recent memory.

Given their impressive performance, it is no surprise that the Lions scored well in most departments with PFF. Here are the best and worst PFF performers from the Lions’ victory over the Panthers.

Lions snap count notes from Week 5 vs. Panthers

Breaking down how the Lions replaced Amon-Ra St. Brown and Brian Branch among other snap count notes from Week 5

Anytime there are key injuries to a team, it’s illuminating to check how the team covers the hole. For the Detroit Lions in the Week 5 bombardment of the Carolina Panthers, replacing Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and Brian Branch proved pretty complex, based on the snap counts from Sunday’s game.

At wide receiver, St. Brown almost never leaves the field when he’s healthy. The Lions divvied up his snaps across several players in Week 5. No wideout played more than 35 of the 60 offensive reps.

  • Marvin Jones – 35
  • Kalif Raymond – 29
  • Jameson Williams – 28
  • Josh Reynolds – 28
  • Antoine Green – 11
  • Dylan Drummond – 5

It was the season debut for Williams, who caught two passes, and the NFL debut for undrafted rookie Drummond, who was not targeted in the passing game. Reynolds entered the game listed as questionable with a groin injury, which might explain his relative lack of usage. He led all wideouts with four receptions and five targets.

Detroit used more of a two-TE set. Rookie Sam LaPorta played 52 of the 60 snaps, with Brock Wright on the field for 37 — more than any wideout. No. 3 TE Darrell Daniels played 15, absorbing the typical reps from fullback Jason Cabinda, who is now on injured reserve.

Along the offensive line, Graham Glasgow started at right guard and played the whole game. Halapoulivaati Vaitai only appeared on special teams. When left guard Jonah Jackson sat for three plays, it was Kayode Awosika who entered in his place.

The running back workload was straightforward with no Gibbs in the lineup. David Montgomery played 45 of the 60, followed by Craig Reynolds with 13 and Zonovan Knight with two. Knight left with an arm injury on his one touch. Reynolds didn’t play until the third quarter.

Defense

The Lions replaced Branch with a healthy dose of Will Harris as the slot corner. Harris played 68 of the 71 defensive snaps. With starting safeties Kerby Joseph and Tracy Walker each playing all 71, it’s a pretty clear-cut replacement role from Harris.

At linebacker, there was a notable change. Malcolm Rodriguez did not play on defense, only appearing on special teams. Alex Anzalone (69), Derrick Barnes (45) and Jack Campbell (32) took all the reps.

Two Lions defenders made their 2023 debuts, albeit briefly in both cases. Julian Okwara was on the field for three snaps at EDGE, while CB Emmanuel Moseley lasted just two plays before suffering an injury to his right knee.

Chase Lucas and Ifeatu Melifonwu did not appear on defense, leaving a heavy DB workload for Cam Sutton (70 of 71 snaps) and Jerry Jacobs (68) at cornerback.

By the numbers: Key figures from the Lions win over the Panthers

By the numbers: Key figures from the Lions win over the Panthers

The Lions maintained the hot start to the 2023 NFL season with a commanding win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. The numbers that mattered the most were 42-24, the final score with Detroit coming out on top.

The path to that final score can be told in many other numbers and figures from the Lions win. Here are some of the key numbers that help tell the tale of the Week 5 matchup in Ford Field.

0 – giveaways by the Lions offense

0 – passes defended by Carolina’s defense

1 – 3-and-out series by Detroit’s offense

2 – sacks allowed by the Lions

3 – takeaways by the Lions defense

3.6 – average yards per carry by CAR on 1st-and-10 plays

4 – first downs for the Panthers offense attained via a Lions penalty

4 – touchdowns in 4 red zone possessions for the Lions offense

5 – different Lions players who scored touchdowns

8.1 – yards per carry by the Lions on 1st-and-10 plays

11 – tackles by Lions LB Alex Anzalone

14 – number of points the Lions scored in three separate quarters

23 – average yard line where the Panthers started their offensive drives

47 – average yard line where the Lions started their offensive drives (excluding end of 1st half and end of game drives)

132.4 – Jared Goff’s QB Rating for the game

Check out these great photos from the Lions win over the Panthers

Check out these great photos from the Lions win over the Panthers

The Detroit Lions treated the home fans at Ford Field to an impressive display of dominant football on Sunday. The Lions rolled over the winless Carolina Panthers, 42-24, in a game that was never in doubt beyond the first quarter.

Scoring six touchdowns on offense and creating three takeaways on defense created a load of memorable moments from the game. Here are some of the best photos taken by the professionals inside Ford Field in Detroit’s big Week 5 win.

Jared Goff believes the Lions are becoming a mature team

Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff sees the teams growth and maturation as they did what they were supposed to do in their victory over Panthers

The Detroit Lions secured their fourth victory of the season by defeating the Carolina Panthers by a score of 42-24 in Week 5. Their performance has earned them recognition as one of the better NFL teams this season.

The Lions have built a deep enough team that they can overcome the absence of key players such as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Brain Branch, and Jahymr Gibbs, as evidenced by their seamless performance against the Panthers. The team’s culture and attitude have allowed them to take setbacks in stride and move on with a learn-and-forget mentality.

In recent years, the Lions have transformed into a competitive team that strives to do their best every week. They support each other and their coaches, as demonstrated by their willingness to reassure their head coach when needed. Despite being the clear favorites in this game, there may have been some lingering doubt after last year’s defeat to the Panthers. However, the Lions left no doubt in this game and delivered a stress-free win.

Even the team’s quarterback, Jared Goff, has noticed the positive changes in the Lions’ culture compared to past years.

“I think we’re becoming a more mature team and understanding when we play a team that, with all due respect to the, they’re 0-4, and we feel like we can do some good things against, we do some good things against them. Again, with all due respect, we’ve been there; we know what that feels like,” Goff told reporters after the game. “But when we’re becoming this team we hope to be, when we play a team we want to get after, we have to go do it. And I thought we did a good job today.”

Failures are the stepping stones to success, and this team has faced many hurdles to reach where it stands today. This is why we feel so proud when we see the Lions perform well lately. Though the old Lions fans may still feel anxious about the team’s stability, these Lions are determined to go far and will do all that is required to achieve their goals.

Studs and Duds from the Lions big win over the Panthers

Here are this week’s Detroit Lions Studs and Duds with their Week 5 over the Carolina Panthers bringing their record to 4-1 for the season

The Detroit Lions got their revenge after a devastating loss to the Carolina Panthers last year by defeating them at home with a score of 42-24. This win brought the Lions’ record to 4-1 for the season.

They surely had this game marked on their calendar, knowing they had to make up for last year’s loss, which essentially knocked them out of the playoffs. Despite missing some key players on offense, including Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions’ offense did not seem to miss a beat, while their defense continued to put on a strong performance, making Bryce Young very uncomfortable. With their fourth win this season, the Lions are in complete control of the NFC North.

The Lions put on an impressive performance against the Panthers, but there are still some areas where they need to improve. Here are this week’s Lions Studs and Duds for their victory over the Panthers.

Quick takeaways from the Lions Week 5 win over the Panthers

Postgame thoughts from Detroit’s Week 5 win over the Panthers

Sunday was a pleasant day in the park for a catfight. The Detroit Lions pounced all over the Carolina Panthers in Ford Field, mauling the winless visitors 42-24. The final score was not that close, either.

The Lions kept the positive momentum flowing after the mini-bye following Detroit’s Week 4 win in Green Bay back on Thursday Night Football 10 days earlier. Despite missing key pieces on both sides of the ball, the Lions quickly clawed out a big lead and never let the Panthers sniff hope of coming back.

Here are some takeaways from watching the Week 5 game in real-time.

Lions roar to a big early lead, cruise to a Week 5 win over the Panthers

The Detroit Lions roared out to a big early lead and cruised past the Carolina Panthers in Week 5

Shortly after the Detroit Lions walloped the Green Bay Packers in Week 4, I wrote that the first half of that Thursday night game was “as awesome of a half of Detroit Lions experience as I can ever recall.”

The Lions didn’t top that level of fun in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, but they sure tried. Detroit cruised to a 42-24 home win to keep the Panthers winless.

As in Green Bay, the Lions roared out to a big early lead in a dominating first half. Detroit led 28-10 at the half thanks to four touchdowns on five possessions. The Lions defense picked off Bryce Young twice and also scooped up a fumble recovery. Carolina moved the ball in small chunks but couldn’t do anything that threatened the Lions defense down the field, and Aaron Glenn’s unit was confident enough to let them make the mistakes.

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Detroit didn’t make any of those critical mistakes. The game was not as close as the final margin would indicate; Carolina scored two officiating-assisted touchdowns late in the game to make the margin closer, but the outcome was never in doubt from about the middle of the second quarter.

Jared Goff passed for 236 yards and three TDs, two of them to rookie TE Sam LaPorta. David Montgomery was the only Lions RB to rush the ball in the first three quarters and posted 109 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Craig Reynolds added 48 more rushing yards on six carries on one drive, capping it with Detroit’s final points and his first career touchdown.

This was the case of Detroit being the better team in all phases and confidently playing like it. It’s not something Lions fans are accustomed to seeing from the home team, but it’s certainly something the fans enjoy.

Dan Campbell’s Lions improve to 4-1 and in control of first place in the NFC North. They head to Tampa Bay for Week 6.

Lions vs. Panthers: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction

Lions vs. Panthers: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction

The Lions are back in action at Ford Field on Sunday after an extended week. Detroit is 3-1 after beating the Packers in Green Bay on Thursday night in Week 4 and they host the 0-4 Carolina Panthers.

Here are some last-minute thoughts about the game rolling through my head on a chilly Sunday morning, as well as a final score prediction.

Why I think the Lions will win

  • Even without dynamic rookie Brian Branch, the Lions pass defense against the Panthers passing offense is a decided advantage for Detroit. Carolina is completely devoid of the big play with Bryce Young at quarterback. The No. 1 overall pick ranks next-to-last in passing yards per attempt (4.9) and dead last in air yard per attempt (also 4.9). The longest pass play with Young in the game is a paltry 22 yards.
  • Young also takes too many sacks behind a shaky offensive line, with a sack rate of just under 10 percent. Carolina’s OL ranks 29th in pass blocking grade per PFF, and that lowly ranking definitely passes the eye test. That’s bad news against a Detroit defense with 12 sacks in the last two weeks. It looks even better for the Lions considering those sacks have been divvied up amongst eight different players. Aaron Glenn’s defense is effective in bringing pressure from lots of places, which is very bad news for a skittish rookie QB who refuses to throw deep.
  • The Lions rushing offense is another major advantage in the game. Detroit averages 136.5 rushing yards per game, 10th in the league. The 4.04 yards per carry is only 19th overall, but the 4.95 yards per carry on first downs is 7th. Carolina’s run defense is near the bottom in both total yards per game (136.3, 27th) and yards per carry allowed (4.74, 28th). Oh yeah, Detroit’s powerhouse offensive line is healthy for this one.
  • The lesson of last year. Detroit blew a playoff berth in the 37-23 loss on Christmas Eve in Carolina in 2022. The Lions know they cannot overlook the winless Panthers. I believe in Dan Campbell and his staff to parlay that putrid game into an effective message about taking their foe seriously.

What worries me about the Panthers

  • No Amon-Ra St. Brown could be a very big problem. To be blunt, the Lions offense was pathetic in joint practices this summer when No. 14 wasn’t on the field. The Lions WR corps doesn’t have the talent level for everyone to play up a notch on the totem pole, not even with Jameson Williams making his debut. It was a very different Jared Goff without St. Brown in the lineup. I know; it was joint practices. I also know how truly anemic the Lions were without him and that’s very difficult to shake.
  • Carolina has a solid young defense, notably in the secondary. Jeremy Chinn and Xavier Woods are the best safety tandem you’ve never heard of, and the Panthers also sport perhaps the best blitzing off-ball LB in the league in Frankie Luvu. Their defensive stats would look a lot better if their offense weren’t so anemic.
  • Last year’s trip to Carolina. I know the team, from coach Campbell on down through the players, has downplayed it, but that was one of the most embarrassing, disappointing efforts the franchise has laid on the fans in decades. I do believe this year’s team is different, better and stronger. Yet I cannot ignore what happened in a game where Detroit should have won by double-digits in December and got their door blown off by a bad Panthers team. In a young season where Arizona spanked Dallas, anything can happen.

Final prediction

I think this game will resemble a Big Ten game from back when that conference only had 10 teams. I expect a lot of running from both offenses and not necessarily a lot of scoring. As long as the Lions don’t give the ball away and play effective special teams, they’ve got this one.

Lions 23, Panthers 14