Hubbard, McMillan lift Panthers past Lions 32-26

On Sunday, October 4, Chuba Hubbard’s second rushing touchdown broke open a one-score game as the Carolina Panthers held off the Detroit Lions 32-26 at Bank of America Stadium.

Carolina finds its answers

Tetairoa McMillan supplied the receiving force, catching 14 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns from Bryce Young, who completed 29 of 41 for 329 yards with two scores and no interceptions. McMillan’s 32-yard touchdown put Carolina ahead 13-6 in the second quarter, and his 10-yard score after halftime restored the lead; Hubbard then drove it home with a 2-yard touchdown for a 29-19 advantage late in the third.

Hubbard carried 20 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns, giving Carolina a needed answer every time Detroit pressed. His 15-yard first-quarter score erased Detroit’s early 3-0 lead, and his second touchdown came shortly after the Lions had cut the Panthers’ edge to three on a field goal.

The Panthers led by as many as 13, but Detroit kept the game within reach behind Jared Goff’s 412 passing yards. Goff completed 32 of 52 with a touchdown and no interceptions, while Jameson Williams had six catches for 102 yards and Jahmyr Gibbs scored Detroit’s lone rushing touchdown.

The third-quarter separation

The game reached halftime tied 16-16 after Carolina’s 47-yard field goal was answered by Detroit’s 41-yarder at the horn. Carolina took control with a 13-play, 76-yard opening series of the third quarter that lasted 5:22 and ended in McMillan’s second touchdown, though the missed extra point left the margin at six.

Detroit’s biggest jolt came on Goff’s 57-yard completion to the Carolina 12, a play that moved the Lions’ win probability from 38% to 51%. Yet that possession ended with a field goal, and Carolina immediately answered with Hubbard’s touchdown drive. The Panthers later used a 13-play, 72-yard march spanning 5:44 to add a 33-yard field goal and take a 32-19 lead.

Both offenses finished at 0.24 EPA per play; EPA measures expected points added by each play. Carolina’s 50% success rate, the share of plays with positive EPA, reflected its steadier rhythm, and its 0.41 passing EPA per play showed why Young repeatedly found McMillan even as Hubbard supplied the finishing runs.

Detroit made one last charge when Goff found Sam LaPorta for an 8-yard touchdown with 3:38 remaining, making it 32-26. But Carolina’s final offensive sequence included an 18-yard Young-to-McMillan completion, and Detroit’s last possession ended on downs. The Lions are 2-2 and visit the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, October 11; the Panthers are 2-2 and travel to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, October 18.