A matchup where an 0-4 basement dweller visits a 3-1 juggernaut may be a short story in the eyes of many. But perhaps Sunday’s meeting between the Carolina Panthers and the Detroit Lions won’t be that simple.
Here are the top storylines of the Week 5 clash:
This too shall pass?
Head coach and play-caller Frank Reich has put out two different passing offenses so far this season—the one with Bryce Young and the one without Bryce Young.
The one with Bryce Young has been dull, vanilla, bland, uninspired and painfully predictable. We saw it hit its peak, or valley, last week—when the rookie threw 14 balls at or behind the line of scrimmage in an unsuccessful screen-fest.
The one without Bryce Young was just about everything its counterpart wasn’t—as veteran Andy Dalton was able to stretch the field en route to a 361-yard outing. And Dalton, in his lone start, threw seven balls of at least 20 yards through the air—whereas Young has totaled only three over his three starts.
Will the offense finally look like it doesn’t operate on two different playbooks this time around? Will Reich let Bryce cook?
Can history repeat itself?
The offense isn’t just struggling through the air.
Over their past three games, the Panthers have amassed just 227 yards over 64 carries—good (or bad) enough for an average of 3.5 yards per tote. Free-agent signing Miles Sanders has been particularly slow out of the gate, averaging a paltry 2.9 yards per attempt.
But is the Detroit defense, similarly to last year, just what the doctor ordered for Carolina? Week 16 of the 2022 campaign saw the Panthers run wild on the Lions, dashing for a franchise-record 320 yards in a 570-yard output.
This group, however, isn’t the same one that took the icy turf at Bank of America Stadium last season. Detroit is currently allowing the fewest rushing yards per game at 60.8. Oh, and this Carolina offensive line isn’t nearly as nasty nor as healthy at the moment.
Conversely, can the leaky Panthers run defense patch it up against the workhorse David Montgomery and the dynamic rookie Jahmyr Gibbs?
They love it loud
The Panthers didn’t do too well the last time they played in front of a hostile crowd. That outing, their Week 3 trip to Seattle, resulted in eight false-start penalties—a performance Reich called “inexcusable” and “pathetic.”
On Friday, Reich told reporters that expects a better showing from his offense against what’ll likely be a lively Lions den. He said the team has made “a few tweaks” to combat their self-inflicted wounds.
So, will the adjustments keep the Panthers from seeing more yellow laundry on the road? Sunday will prove to be a big test, in more ways than one.
