The banged-up Detroit Lions dominated a Carolina Panthers team that seemed intent on beating itself Sunday afternoon, earning a 42-24 victory in front of a raucous crowd at Ford Field.
Carolina put up a sloppy performance, finishing with seven penalties and three turnovers. Detroit seemed to cash in on each mistake. Rookie quarterback Bryce Young threw two picks (defensive end Aiden Hutchinson and cornerback Jerry Jacobs each nabbed an interception) and defensive tackle Alim McNeill forced a fumble from running back Miles Sanders. The Lions scored a touchdown following each Panthers turnover.
The Lions offense had a great afternoon. Despite missing his star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, quarterback Jared Goff tossed 236 yards and three touchdowns, distributing the ball to eight different targets. Wide receiver Josh Reynolds and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta were the favored targets. Reynolds finished with 76 yards and a touchdown, while LaPorta earned 47 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Wide receiver Jameson Williams was quiet in his return to play, finishing with two catches for a combined two yards.
Running back David Montgomery continued to illustrate his prowess as an every-down back, rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Backup running back Craig Reynolds also had himself a drive in the fourth quarter, notching 52 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries.
Panthers score, Lions recover onside kick and ice victory
Drive starts: CAR 25 (7:27 4th)
Young is slinging with his team down 25 points. He throws a 28-yard pass to Ian Thomas after a couple of rushes, flipping the field into Lions territory. Young notches a couple of completions to Thielen for a total of 19 yards, putting the offense in the red zone.
Detroit nearly gets a stop on third-and-5 at its own 9-yard line, but a roughing the passer penalty on linebacker Alex Anzalone gives the Panthers a fresh set of downs. Young tosses a pair of incompletions at the 4-yard line and a delay of game penalty backs up the offense on third down.
A 7-yard throw to Thielen regains the lost yardage, making it fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line.
Young finishes the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Theilen.
Lions 42, Panthers 24 (1:55 4th)
The Lions recover the onside kick attempt and kneel to finish the game.
Craig Reynolds TD extends Lions lead to 42-17
Drive starts: DET 25 (11:52 4th)
Craig Reynolds steps in for Montgomery to start the drive. After a rush for no gain, Goff lofts a deep ball to Josh Reynolds good for 27 yards.
Detroit goes back to the ground with C. Reynolds. He notches three straight carries for a total of 43 yards, quickly making it first-and-goal for Detroit's offense.
C. Reynolds finishes off an impressive drive with a 5-yard rush into the endzone.
Lions 42, Panthers 17 (7:27 4th)
Young throws second TD of the afternoon, cuts lead to 35-17
Drive starts: CAR 25 (14:38 4th)
Young throws a 11-yard pass sandwiched between a pair of Hubbard rushing attempts. A 6-yard pass and 6-yard rush pushes the Panthers into Detroit territory.
After a 10-yard pass and a roughing penalty on Charles Harris, Young finds Chark in the endzone for a 18-yard touchdown pass.
Lions 35, Panthers 17 (11:52 4th)
Lions extend lead to open fourth quarter
Drive starts: DET 25 (15:00 3rd)
Detroit starts its first drive of the second half with an incompletion and a 2-yard rush. On third-and-8, Goff throws a 12-yard pass to LaPorta to keep the offense on the field.
Wright brings in a 9-yard catch to start the next set of downs and Montgomery rushes for the first.
Montgomery picks up eight yards on second down and another yard on third. The Lions line up to attempt a fourth-and-1 conversion, but the Panthers hand the home team a first with an offsides penalty.
The offense stalls out on the next set of downs. Montgomery rushes on first and second down for a total of four yards, but on third down, Goff is sacked on the Lions are forced to punt.
Drive starts: CAR 10 (8:27 3rd)
Young kicks the drive off with a 12-yard completion to Thielen, then follows it up with a 11-yard handoff to Shenault.
The Panthers shoot themselves in the foot with a holding penalty on the next set of downs. A 8-yard pass picks up some of the lost yardage, but a Hutchinson sack on third-and-12 ends what initially looked like a promising drive form the struggling Panthers.
Drive starts: DET 28 (6:26 3rd)
Detroit's offense quickly goes three-and-out. A pair of incompletions sets up third-and-10 and a 4-yard screen pass to Williams ends the drive.
Drive starts: CAR 16 (5:21 3rd)
Carolina's drive opens with a false start. Young is pressured heavily in the backfield on first down by defensive end Romeo Okwara and throws it away. However, the rookie quarterback is called for an intentional grounding and backs his offense up to to the 1-yard line.
Detroit's defense locks down and Carolina can't overcome the penalties.
Drive starts: DET 49 (4:31 3rd)
Goff goes back to the air on first down, throwing a 21-yard pass to Reynolds off of a play action pass. Running back Zonovan Knight rushes for eight yards on the next play, but exits the game with an injury. Montgomery comes back in and rushes for the first.
Goff is sacked for -8 yards on first-and-10. Raymond picks up 12 yards to make it third-and-6 just outside the 10-yard line. Montgomery gets the direct snap and rumbles ahead for 10 yards, making it first-and-goal for the offense.
Goff punches it into the endzone on a quarterback sneak after a 3-yard rush from Montgomery.
Lions 35, Panthers 10 (14:45 4th)
Detroit dominating heading into locker room
Drive starts: CAR 32 (3:15 2nd)
Young makes a few solid passes to quickly put the offense just outside the red zone, highlighted by a 30-yard pass to Thielen.
The offense can't find the endzone despite its quick march into Lions territory and the Panthers settle for a field goal. A 33-yard boot makes it 28-10 just before halftime.
Lions 28, Panthers 10 (0:06 2nd)
Young throws second INT, Lions dominating
Drive starts: CAR 23 (3:50 2nd)
Yet another Panthers drive ends in complete disaster. Young throws his second interception of the afternoon on first down, this one courtesy of cornerback Jerry Jacobs.
Drive starts: CAR 31 (3:21 2nd)
Detroit immediately makes Carolina pay for its third turnover of the game. A flea-flicker gives Goff a wide-open LaPorta racing through the Panther defense. The rookie tight end snags a near-perfect pass and races to the endzone for a 31-yard touchdown.
Lions 28, Panthers 7 (3:21 2nd)
Detroit takes advantage of yet another turnover
Drive starts: DET 19 (12:43 2nd)
Goff dumps a pass off to tight end Brock Wright on first down for a 5-yard gain. Montgomery chugs ahead for a first on the next play.
Wide receiver Josh Reynolds drops a pass to start off the next set of downs, but immediately makes up for it with a 27-yard catch on second down.
The offense stalls out after the Reynolds pass. Wide receiver Jameson Williams can't bring in an open pass on first down, Jones picks up a 6-yard catch and LaPorta can't climb the latter on third down to bring in a high pass.
Facing a fourth-and-4, head coach Dan Campbell elects to go for it. Goff throws an incomplete pass to Montgomery in the flats and the offense turns over on downs.
Drive starts: CAR 37 (10:07 2nd)
Sanders immediately fumbles the ball and hands the keys right back to Detroit.
Drive starts: CAR 38 (9:58 2nd)
Montgomery catches a short pass and rushes ahead for nine yards on first down. A failed screen pass to Williams on second down backs up the offense a couple yards to make it third-and-3. Montgomery picks up a couple yards and the Lions face another fourth-down situation.
This time, the team converts. Goff pitches it to Montgomery, who races around the left edge for three yards and a first.
A couple more rushes from Montgomery sets up a third-and-6. Detroit puts the ball in his hands yet again, as the running back catches a short pass and races ahead for 11-yards. A 10-yard screen pass to Raymond sets up the Lions at the 1-yard line.
Reynolds brings in an impressive catch on second-and-goal, tip-toeing the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown.
Lions 21, Panthers 7 (3:50 2nd)
Carolina on the board
Drive starts: CAR 25 (4:53 1st)
Running back Chuba Hubbard rushes for a yard and Young targets Thielen for a 5-yard gain. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley goes down on the play with a non-contact injury.
Young finds Thielen again on the next down, connecting for eight yards and a first. Carolina's offense is finally on the move, as a 6-yard catch from Thielen and 9-yard rush from Sanders puts the team in Detroit territory. Young throws a 13-yard pass on the very next play.
The Young-Thielen connection continues a few plays later, with a 9-yard pass placing the Panthers in the red zone. Backup quarterback Andy Dalton comes in for a quarterback sneak on third down to keep the offense alive.
Wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. rushes for 11 yards and yet another first down, putting the Panthers inside the 10.
Shenault takes another handoff a play later, rushing ahead for seven yards and putting his team at the 1-yard line. Young tosses a touchdown on third down to cut the deficit in half.
Lions 14, Panthers 7 (12:48 2nd)
Lions cash in on Hutchinson interception, lead 14-0
Drive starts: CAR 17 (9:41 1st)
Detroit continues to apply pressure on Young, forcing a first-down incompletion. Sanders rushes for just a couple yards on second down. The Panthers are faced with a third-and-8.
The Lions send heavy pressure on third, but Young zips it out quickly to wide receiver Adam Thielen for nine yards and a first down.
The drive ends in disaster for Carolina. Young tries to check down a short pass and defensive end Aiden Hutchinson snatches it for an interception.
Drive starts: CAR 20 (7:28 1st)
Montgomery just keeps pounding the rock. He rushes for 14 yards on three carries to put Detroit's offense at the goal line.
Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta hauls in a 4-yard touchdown to cap off the drive.
Lions 14, Panthers 0 (4:53 1st)
Detroit's offense off to explosive start
Drive starts: CAR 25 (15:00 1st)
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young tosses an 8-yard pass on first down and Miles Sanders rushes for the first down.
Detroit’s defense notches a tackle for loss on first down then forces and incompletion. However, Young finds D,J. Chark for a 18-yard reception, converting on third down and putting the offense at midfield.
Young scrambles for four yards and Sanders loses a yard on the next play, forcing another third down for Carolina’s offense. Detroit breaks down the pocket and Young is forced to toss away the ball.The Panthers are forced to punt.
Drive starts: DET 19 (11:07 1st)
Quarterback Jared Goff finds a wide-open Kalif Raymond in the middle of the field on first play of the drive, picking up 23-yards. Goff keeps the offense moving through the air on the very next play, targeting veteran wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. for a 16-yard reception
Running back David Montgomery caps off the explosive drive with a 42-yard touchdown, bouncing off defenders and racing down the left sideline to take an early lead.
Lions 7, Panthers 0 (9:41 1st)
Pregame
Detroit returns to Ford Field to host the winless Carolina Panthers. The Lions enter the contest with a few extra days of rest after dismantling the Green Bay Packers, 34-20, on "Thursday Night Football."
That victory was a resounding one and placed the Lions alone atop the NFC North standings. Detroit was downright dominant in the first half, taking a 27-3 lead into halftime. A second-half push made the final score a bit more palatable for the Packers, but the Lions were clearly the better team for 60 minutes.
The defense proved its strong showing against the Atlanta Falcons was not a fluke by shutting down Green Bay's rushing attack and constantly harassing Jordan Love in the pocket. The unit notched five sacks and eight tackles for loss.
The offense also had a good night. Running back David Montgomery was a bell cow, rushing for 121 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. Quarterback Jared Goff rebounded after an early interception, throwing for 210 yards and a touchdown.
Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Alex Faber.
More:Lions make St. Brown and Gibbs inactive; former second-round pick a healthy scratch
Panthers at Lions
▶ Kickoff:1 p.m. Sunday, Ford Field, Detroit
▶ TV/radio:Fox/97.1
▶ Records:Lions 3-1, Panthers 0-4
▶ Line:Lions by 8½
