The Detroit Lions’ defense hit a new low in Week 4, giving up nearly 450 yards of offense and six straight scoring drives, including four touchdowns, against the Carolina Panthers. This absolute meltdown led to a 32-26 loss, pushing their record to a shaky 2-2 early in the season. You’ve gotta wonder how much more of this they can take.
Early Flashes Fizzle Fast Against Carolina
The game started with a glimmer of hope, though. Detroit’s offense actually came out strong after the Panthers deferred the opening kick, ripping off gains like 7 yards for Jahmyr Gibbs, 6 for Jameson Williams, and a sweet 18 for Amon-Ra St. Brown. But then, a false start on Brock Wright set ’em back. Jared Goff turfed it under pressure on third-and-12, forcing Jake Bates to drill a 54-yard field goal to put the Lions up 3-0. What a kick, right?
The defense had its moments too, kinda. Rookie Jimmy Rolder snagged a nice tackle for loss, forcing a third-and-9. But then Bryce Young connected with Tetairoa McMillan, who just broke Jack Campbell’s tackle attempt and gained 10 crucial yards for a first down. Later, on another third down, Alim McNeill absolutely bull rushed for a sack to get off the field. You love to see that energy!
But the positive vibes didn’t last. The Lions offense got slammed with another penalty, a holding call on Juice Scruggs after they started at their own 11. They went three-and-out, with a deep shot to Williams just barely missing. That’s when Carolina turned the screws. The Panthers just dinked and dunked their way down the field with a ton of RPO stuff. Young found a wide-open McMillan for 21 yards to get into the red zone, and on the very next play, Chuba Hubbard took a toss for a 16-yard touchdown. Just like that, it was 7-3 Panthers. Detroit tried to answer back, with an 11-yard pass to Sam LaPorta and a roughing the passer call pushing them to midfield, but the damage was done.
The Defensive Meltdown and Mounting Pressure
This isn’t just one bad quarter, folks. Detroit’s defensive problems are clearly reaching a fever pitch. Nearly 450 yards of offense allowed, six straight scoring drives, four of ’em touchdowns… you can’t win like that in this league, no matter how much offense you try to cook up. Yeah, the defense made a couple of stops in the fourth quarter to give the offense a shot at a comeback, but by then, it was way too late and the team was gassed.
It’s been four games, and these defensive issues are nowhere near fixed. The pressure has to be absolutely mounting on defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard right now. Time is definitely running out for him to get this side of the ball sorted out, or at least show some serious signs of progress. Dropping to 2-2 means they’ve gotta figure something out, and fast. You can only give up so many yards before something’s gotta give.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pride of Detroit.
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