The Lions are inching closer to Sunday Night Football, but with injuries piling up in Carolina and Detroit’s struggles against tight ends, there are several key factors that could decide this matchup.
As we inch closer and closer to Sunday night, Detroit will prepare to take on the Carolina Panthers for a Sunday Night Football showdown.
Recently, there was much speculation that the Lions could add cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Steelers, but it was the Cowboys who made the deal, trading a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Many fans seem disgruntled about this, but personally, if you know the Lions, you knew Brad Holmes was not going to make this deal.
Porter is also looking to get a new contract, reportedly demanding $30 million annually, and that is something that would have been hard for Detroit to reach, especially with Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch still unsigned at the time. Detroit will now turn their attention back to preparing for Sunday Night Football.
Currently, the Panthers are dealing with numerous injuries, having placed both starting cornerbacks on IR and losing their starting offensive guard to a UCL injury. However, they did get a little boost today as wide receiver Jalen Coker returned to practice, as did first-round rookie tackle Monroe Freeling.
Detroit also got some good news, as DJ Wonnum returned to practice today and practiced in full, which is huge news for the pass rusher, who will be going up against his former team. Unfortunately, center Cade Mays will not be active for this game and will not get to take on his old team.
Dan Campbell stated that Juice Scruggs has done a phenomenal job taking over at center for Mays. Campbell also alluded to Scruggs potentially competing for the left guard position when Mays returns.
The worst-case scenario is that Detroit comes out of this game with plenty of depth along the offensive line. Scruggs can play both guard positions and center, while Larry Borom can play either tackle position and Ben Bartch can also play guard or any of the tackle positions.
Detroit addressed the offensive line this offseason, and it has seemingly worked.
To beat the Panthers, Detroit will have to limit explosive plays and touchdown drives. In both of the Panthers’ losses, they have lost the turnover battle, and Bryce Young has thrown at least one interception in both games.
Despite throwing for 291 yards against the Browns, Young completed just 26 of his 48 pass attempts with one touchdown and one interception while taking three sacks.
Another point of emphasis should be shutting down their tight ends, Darren Waller and Tommy Tremble, who had the second- and third-most receiving yards for the Panthers last week.
Waller already has one game this season with two touchdowns, and it wouldn’t shock me one bit to see him score again, as Detroit’s defense against tight ends has been horrendous. The Lions have allowed 29 receptions for 351 yards and six touchdowns to six different tight ends.
Despite being 34 years old, Waller has shown he still has a little juice left in the tank, recording 10 receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Tremble, on the other hand, has been a little slower to start, with just seven receptions for 70 yards.
Shutting down the tight end position could go a long way for Detroit and will be one of the keys to victory.
