Larry Hartstein, the expert who’s been on an insane 22-11-1 roll with his picks involving the Detroit Lions, has made his definitive call for the 2026 Week 4 ‘Sunday Night Football’ showdown between the Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers. If you’ve been following his advice on betting sites, you could have seen $100 players already net $966 with his Lions insights. Tonight, he’s leaning hard on one specific outcome.
Defensive Struggles Define Early Season NFC Clash
This ‘Sunday Night Football’ matchup is a legit key NFC showdown, and it’s looking like a battle between two teams that know how to put up points, but maybe not how to stop them. The Detroit Lions, sitting at 2-1, are fresh off outlasting the New York Jets 31-24 in Week 3. While they’re averaging a stout 31 points per game offensively, their defense is letting up an equally high 31.7 points. Plus, they’re 0-1 on the road so far this early regular season.
Then you’ve got the Carolina Panthers, who are 1-2 after falling short 21-18 against the Cleveland Browns. They’re not slouches on offense either, averaging 29.7 points, but their defense has allowed 27.7 points per game. Just like the Lions, they’re 0-1 on their home turf. To make things tougher for Carolina, they’re going into this game without several players, including their key cornerback Jaycee Horn, who’s out with a quad injury. That’s a big hit to their secondary!
The Numbers Are Screaming for a Shootout
All signs point to this game being an absolute offensive explosion. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The latest odds have Detroit favored by 3.5 points, but the real eye-opener is the over/under for total points scored: a staggering 51.5. That’s the second-highest over/under for any game in Week 4, telling you everything you need to know about what’s expected.
When you look at the betting trends, the Lions haven’t been great against the spread lately, going 3-7 ATS over their past 10 games. The Panthers are a bit more even at 5-5 ATS. But here’s the kicker: the Over is 3-0 for Detroit this season. Carolina’s gone Over once and Under twice. That 3-0 Over record for the Lions is huge for tonight’s prediction. Larry Hartstein, who had a 50-37 ATS (57.5%) record last season, is banking on it. He’s leaning hard on the Over 50.5 combined points for this one, and his reasoning is simple: both teams are having a seriously hard time stopping opposing offenses.
Tonight’s game is more than just a Week 4 matchup; it’s a chance for one of these NFC teams to grab some early momentum. Expect fireworks, because with that over/under and Hartstein’s hot streak, you know there’s going to be points on the board.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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