Sports Illustrated
Detroit’s 32-26 loss to Carolina on Sunday Night Football exposed a split performance: the offense showed brighter moments with Jared Goff distributing to a 75+-yard trio, while the defense and several units faltered, especially the secondary and interior line. Goff helped stabilize the game as Carolina bottled the run, but the Lions’ receiving corps delivered a rare 75-yard-plus effort collectively. The defense struggled to pressure Bryce Young and capitulated to Chuba Hubbard’s 120+ rushing yards, undermining chances to slow a division rival. Momentum appears stalled as the team contends with schema exposure and lingering postseason doubts, with questions lingering about how to fix the pass defense and run defense going forward.