Lions vs. Panthers Score Prediction for NFL Week 4 (Expect Plenty of Points on Sunday Night)

Sunday Night Football in week 4 of the 2026 NFL season features an interesting matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers.

Both of these teams have struggled a bit on defense to begin the season with Carolina allowing 59 points to the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and the Lions allowing 30 points or more in two of their first three games.

That's led to oddsmakers setting a high total for this Week 4 matchup, but the Lions enter as favorites on the road as they look to move to 3-1.

Carolina is dealing with a major injury as star cornerback Jaycee Horn suffered a quad tear that will keep him out of the lineup for the next several weeks. That could be a major problem against a vaulted Lions passing attack.

Jared Goff has already thrown eight touchdowns this season without an interception, and the Lions rank seventh in the league in EPA/Play and fourth in EPA/Pass.

So, can the Lions add to their success so far this season against the team that won the NFC South in 2025?

All season long, the SI Betting team is using the latest odds and analysis to predict the final score of games, a fun way to help bettors decide on spread, total and moneyline wagers.

Here’s a breakdown of this NFC battle, with the Lions looking to move to 3-1.

Lions vs. Panthers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Lions -3.5 (-112)
Panthers +3.5 (-108)

Moneyline

Lions: -180
Panthers: +150

Total

51.5 (Over -102/Under -118)

This line has shifted a bit since opening with the Lions as three-point favorites on Sunday night.

Detroit is now favored by 3.5 points with the Panthers dealing with some major injuries ahead of Week 4. The total (51.5) remains one of the highest on the board in Week 4.

Lions vs. Panthers Score Prediction

Each week, SI Betting’s senior editor Iain MacMillan shares his favorite pick for every NFL game in his Road to 272 column. He’s targeting the Lions to cover the spread in primetime:

I'm still buying in on the Lions. They're going to start to get healthy on defense, and I still believe the betting market isn't evaluating them fairly. They have had the second-worst defensive luck through the first three weeks, according to RBSDM.com, which makes me even more confident in my conviction that this team is an NFC contender.

Meanwhile, last week showed me that maybe I was too quick to give Bryce Young credit after a hot start. He had a bad outing against the Cleveland Browns, so I don't think we can pencil in the Panthers racking up points against the Lions on Sunday.

I’m targeting the OVER in this game for my best bet, and it’s hard to disagree with MacMillan’s thinking since the Panthers are banged up on defense.

Detroit ranks in the top-10 in the league in yards per play on offense and the bottom 10 in yards per play allowed on defense, making it an ideal team for high-scoring games.

Plus, the Panthers put up a huge offensive performance in Week 1 in a loss to Chicago. They struggled last week on the road against Cleveland, but back at home, I expect more from Bryce Young, especially against a defense that is 30th in EPA/Play.

Final Score Prediction: Lions 31, Panthers 26

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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