3 Major Takeaways from Panthers' Statement Win Over Lions on SNF

I really didn't think the Panthers were going to win this game.

I picked Detroit 31-27, and most of that was because I kept looking at Carolina's injury report and wondering how they were going to keep up. No Jaycee Horn. No Mike Jackson. No Xavier Legette. No Jalen Coker. No Damien Lewis. Against Detroit, I didn't love it.

Then Carolina went out and beat them anyway.

Now the Panthers are 2-2, Bryce Young is playing some of the best football I've seen from him, the offense just put up 445 yards, and I'm sitting here wondering if I've been too hesitant to believe what I'm watching.

I probably have.

1. Maybe I Can Finally Stop Complaining About the Running Game

I know I've beaten this one to death. Give Chuba Hubbard the ball more. Stop making Bryce Young do everything. Find some kind of balance.

Well, there you go.

Hubbard ran for 122 yards, and I don't think it's a coincidence that Carolina's offense looked as good as it has all season. Young still threw for 329 yards, and Tetairoa McMillan was ridiculous with 14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns. But for once, it didn't feel like everything was riding on Young throwing the ball all over the field.

That's what I've wanted to see. What do you do with this offense if Hubbard is running like that? You can't just sit back and worry about Young, and you can't put everything into stopping Tetairoa McMilllan, because now Carolina can hand it to Hubbard and let him go to work.

Maybe I'm making it too simple, but I don't think I am.

Carolina has a quarterback playing really well, McMillan is starting to look like one of the better receivers in football, and Hubbard just ran for 122 yards. If they can get all three going at the same time, I don't know how easy this offense is going to be to deal with.

Now do it again next week.

2. I Really Thought the Injuries Were Going to Catch Up With Them

Oct 4, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) makes a catch defended by Carolina Panthers safety Lathan Ransom (22) and cornerback Akayleb Evans (29) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is probably where I was most wrong Sunday night.

I kept looking at everybody Carolina was missing and thinking there was no way it wouldn't eventually show up against Detroit. You can get away with being short-handed against some teams. I didn't think the Lions were one of them.

Then more guys started going down during the game because apparently the Panthers hadn't lost enough players already. Somehow, they kept holding it together.

Corey Bullock had to fill in for Lewis. Will Lee III was playing a much bigger role with Horn and Jackson out. Then the game came down to Detroit needing one more conversion to stay alive, and it was Lee and Lathan Ransom making the stop.

I'm not going to tell you the defense played great because it didn't. Detroit had 452 yards, and Jared Goff threw for 412. There were times when I thought the Lions were going to go right down the field again, and Carolina wasn't going to be able to do much about it.

But when the Panthers absolutely had to get one stop, they got it.

I don't know how deep this roster really is yet. I do know I feel a lot better about it than I did before Sunday night.

3. I'm Running Out of Reasons Not to Believe This Team

Maybe this is the biggest thing for me.

After Chicago, I didn't know what to think. Then Carolina destroyed Atlanta, and I wanted to see it again. They went to Cleveland, played well enough to win, and somehow came home with a loss.

So naturally, I wanted to see it again. At this point, I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

Now they've beaten Detroit. Not Atlanta or a team Carolina was supposed to beat. Detroit came to Charlotte on Sunday Night Football, and the Panthers beat them while missing a bunch of starters.

What exactly am I waiting for?

I'm not saying Carolina is going to win 12 games. They're 2-2. There are still things about this team that bother me, especially defensively, and we're only four games into a long season.

But I also don't want to spend every week explaining why whatever they just did doesn't count.

Young looks really good. McMillan looks like a legitimate No. 1 receiver. Hubbard finally gave them some balance, and Carolina just beat a Detroit team I thought was better than them.

Maybe they are good.

I'm still not completely ready to say it, but I'm getting pretty close.

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