Panthers 32, Lions 26: McMillan Rewrites the Record Book

October 4, 2026 - Charlotte - Jaycee Horn was on injured reserve. Mike Jackson too. Jalen Coker was inactive. Xavier Legette was already gone. Bryce Young kept throwing it to Tetairoa McMillan anyway: 14 catches, 192 yards, two touchdowns, and a toe-tap on third-and-14 that let Carolina kneel later.

The Carolina Panthers beat the Detroit Lions 32-26 in the first Sunday Night Football game at Bank of America Stadium in 11 years. Carolina is 2-2. Detroit is 2-2. Jared Goff threw for 412 yards. It was not enough.

Six scoring drives after a punt

Jake Bates opened from 54. Chuba Hubbard answered from 15. 7-3. Bates from 43. Young hit McMillan down the right sideline from 32. Ryan Fitzgerald missed the extra point. 13-6. Jahmyr Gibbs dove from a yard after 11 plays. 13-13. Fitzgerald from 47 with 28 seconds left in the half. Jameson Williams then took 49 yards down the middle, and Bates from 41 tied it 16-16 at the gun.

McMillan already had nine catches for 147 at the break. The Panthers said he finished one reception and 9 yards short of the franchise single-game records. He still joined Smith and Jeffers in the 10-150-two-TD club. Hubbard ran 20 times for 122 and two scores. Carolina punted the first series and scored on the next six.

Young was 29 of 41 for 329, two touchdowns, no picks, three sacks. Fitzgerald missed a second extra point in the third after McMillan's 10-yard score. 22-16 instead of 23-16. Those misses kept Detroit in a one-score game deep into the fourth. Carolina still scored on six straight possessions after the opening punt. Bank of America Stadium had not hosted Sunday Night Football in 11 years. It got a 445-yard night and a defensive stand from a secondary that started the week with both starting corners on IR.

Detroit put up 452 yards of offense, per the Lions wrap, and still lost because the last 87 yards never came. Gibbs was held to 46 rushing yards after three loud weeks. That was the Panthers' other win inside the win.

LaPorta cuts it to six, then TeSlaa comes up a yard short

Bates from 26. 22-19. Hubbard from 2. 29-19. Fitzgerald from 33 after 13 plays. 32-19. Goff found Sam LaPorta from 8 with 3:38 left. 32-26. Detroit still had three timeouts. McMillan dragged a toe on the sideline for a first down. The Lions got it back at their 13 with 2:12 to go.

They never crossed their 25. On fourth-and-13 from the 10, Goff hit Isaac TeSlaa for 12. One yard short. Young knelt twice. Sweet Caroline played. The Panthers' defense had been short of corners all week and lost Jaelan Phillips during the game. It still got the last stop.

Goff was 32 of 52, one score, no picks, one sack. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught eight for 75. Jameson Williams had six for 102. LaPorta had eight for 84 and the late score. Gibbs ran 15 times for 46 and the 1-yarder, plus four catches for 31. Alim McNeill and D.J. Wonnum each had a sack. Bates was 4 of 4 (54, 43, 41, 26) and two extras.

Princely Umanmielen had a sack for Carolina. Devin Lloyd added five solo tackles. Akayleb Evans had nine solos in a secondary that was already down Horn and Jackson. Detroit's Christian Izien had a sack and seven solos. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. forced a fumble. None of that shows on the last fourth down from the 10. TeSlaa got 12. Carolina got the ball. Hubbard's 20 carries and two scores were the run game Carolina wanted after Cleveland, and the offense still needed McMillan on third-and-14 because Fitzgerald's two missed extras left the door open. The Panthers scored 32 and it felt like 34.

Carolina enters a bye, then visits Philadelphia in Week 6. Detroit visits Arizona. Dave Canales' club just beat a Lions offense that had scored 31 or more in every other 2026 game. The lights were not too bright for McMillan. The missed kicks were the only thing that kept it from looking easier.

AthX Engine on a 192-yard night

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 4 lines in. McMillan's 14 catches and two scores land at 67.00, the top total in this game. Hubbard is 44.75. McNeill is 42.00. Bates' four field goals are 40.00. Young is 39.07. LaPorta is 39.00. Goff is 38.96. Carolina's team line is 75.50.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for McMillan after a career night with the other receivers out, and for a Lions passing game that piled up 412 yards and still lost on fourth down. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track McMillan, Young, Hubbard, Goff, Gibbs, and both clubs on the marketplace. Carolina is on a bye, then visits Philadelphia in Week 6. Detroit visits Arizona on Oct. 11.

*Sources: Lions.com, Panthers rapid recap, Panthers McMillan wrap, ESPN recap, Panthers game center. AthX Engine Week 4 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*