3 Panthers Players Who Have to Step Up to Beat Lions

I'm almost afraid to look at the Panthers' injury report anymore. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are out, Damien Lewis is out, and Xavier Legette is on injured reserve. Jalen Coker has been dealing with a quad injury, too, because apparently Carolina needed one more thing to worry about.

Of all the weeks for this to happen, of course it's the week Detroit comes to Charlotte.

We know Bryce Young, Chuba Hubbard, and Tetairoa McMillan are going to have to play well. That's obvious. But with this many starters missing, I don't think Carolina beats Detroit without getting something from a few guys we really haven't talked much about.

These are the three I keep coming back to.

Will Lee III

This is probably the one that makes me the most nervous. Will Lee III is a rookie, and with Horn and Jackson both on injured reserve, he's suddenly being asked to play a much bigger role against one of the better offenses in football. I'm sure this isn't how Carolina planned on getting him more playing time, but here we are.

And I don't think Jared Goff is going to care that Lee is a rookie. If I'm Detroit, I'm going after him early just to see how he handles it. And if it's working, why stop?

I'm not expecting Lee to go out there and shut everybody down. He's probably going to give up some catches, and that's fine. What I don't want to see is Detroit realizing early that it can pick on him all night.

Maybe Lee surprises us. Sometimes a guy gets his chance because somebody gets hurt, and you find out he's better than you thought. I'm not saying that's going to happen here, but we're about to learn a lot more about Lee than I expected to in Week 4.

Corey Bullock

I feel like I've written about the offensive line every day this week. Now Damien Lewis is out, so I guess we're doing it again. Corey Bullock is listed behind Lewis at left guard, and if Carolina goes with him Sunday night, he's walking into a pretty tough situation.

The Panthers just allowed Bryce to be pressured on 51 percent of his dropbacks against Cleveland, and now Aidan Hutchinson is coming to town. At least Monroe Freeling cleared concussion protocol, which is probably the best news Carolina has gotten up front all week.

As for Bullock, I'm really not asking for much. If Sunday night ends and I barely notice him, I'll probably consider that a pretty good night. Don't give up a bunch of pressure, don't have a penalty wipe out a good play, and don't make an already difficult night any harder on Bryce.

I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but sometimes that's exactly what you want from an offensive lineman. Carolina doesn't need Bullock to suddenly become an All-Pro. It just needs him to hold up.

John Metchie III

I keep wondering when John Metchie III is going to get a real opportunity in this offense. With Legette on injured reserve and Coker dealing with a quad injury, I don't really see how Metchie doesn't get more chances Sunday night.

John Metchi III — Sep 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver John Metchie III (13) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He caught Carolina's only touchdown against Cleveland, so maybe this is the week we finally see a little more from him. We've spent most of the season talking about McMillan and Coker when it comes to the receivers, and for good reason. But at some point, somebody else has to give Bryce another option.

I'm not expecting Metchie to suddenly go for 120 yards. But can he catch four or five passes? Can he move the chains a couple of times and maybe make another play in the red zone when Carolina desperately needs a touchdown instead of another field goal?

I'd take that.

That's really where Carolina is heading into Sunday night. The Panthers are missing too many important players to think everything is going to go according to plan, and somebody who normally doesn't get much attention is probably going to have to make a play.

Maybe it's Lee in the secondary. Maybe Bullock holds up better than expected, or maybe Metchie takes advantage of getting more opportunities. I don't know which one it'll be, but if Carolina finds a way to beat Detroit, I have a feeling we're going to be talking about at least one of these three afterward.

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