The Detroit Lions staged another furious comeback, but it was too little too late.
A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.
Detroit – The Detroit Lions staged another furious comeback, but it was too little too late as Carolina Panthers came into Ford Field, built a big lead on the strength of Cam Newton’s arm and mobility, and escaped with a 27-24 victory Sunday.
The Lions’ offense remained trapped in its month-long slumber deep into the fourth quarter, and the team’s defense failed to provide its customary early-season support, forcing zero turnovers in the loss.
After a second-quarter touchdown drive, the Lions didn’t cross midfield for seven consecutive possessions, including five straight without a first down. Quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled much of the afternoon, completing just 12-20 passes for 99 yards through three quarters as the Panthers built up a three-score advantage in the second half that proved too much to overcome.
The Lions fell to 3-2 and the Panthers improved to 4-1.
Detroit’s defense, which has been the team’s calling card much of the first month, had no answer for the Panthers, especially backup tight end Ed Dickson.
BOX SCORE: Panthers 27, Lions 24
Dickson entered the game having never tallying more than 79 receiving yards in a game, but topped that mark in the first quarter and finished with 175 yards on five catches in the victory. He rumbled 64 yards after running through a tackle attempt by safety Tavon Wilson, helping set up the Panthers first score, a 21-yard Graham Gano field goal that answered a Lions’ field goal on the opening possession.
After tight end Eric Ebron dropped a touchdown pass on the team’s opening possession, the Lions took the lead early in the second quarter, 10-3, after a nine-play, 78-yard drive, aided by two face mask penalties against the Panthers in the red zone. Zach Zenner capped the series with a one-yard touchdown run.
The Panthers quickly responded when Dickson gained another 57 yards on a well-designed play-action on third-and-1. As the Lions defense flooded toward the line of scrimmage to prevent Newton from scrambling, the veteran tight end was left uncovered. Newton flipped a floater over a changing defender and the Lions didn’t catch Dickson until he was inside the 10.
Two plays later, Newton’s mobility came into play again, when it created a sizable lane for a shovel pass to rookie running back Christian McCaffrey, who skated six yards into the end zone.
Carolina took the lead with 55 seconds remaining in the first half. On third-and-7 at the Lions 10, the defense couldn’t generate any pass rush, allowing Newton to maneuver around in the backfield and eventually find Devin Funchess in the back of the end zone.
The Panthers extended their advantage to 14 on the opening drive of the second half when Newton dropped a high-arching touchdown pass into the waiting hands of 6-foot-5 target Kelvin Benjamin, who had gotten a step on cornerback Darius Slay on the outside.
The Lions responded by fumbling the ball right back to the Panthers. Stafford coughed the ball up while being sacked by defensive end Mario Addison. And even though the defense came up with the quick stop, the Panthers pushed the lead to 27-10 with a 44-yard Gano field goal thanks to the drive’s starting field position.
Stafford had a rough day until mounting the comeback attempt in the fourth quarter. He made some poor throws in the first half and was later battered by the Panthers defensive line, absorbing six sacks.
The Lions finally ended a nearly 38-minute scoring drought with 5:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. Stafford completed all seven of his passes on the 69-yard drive, connecting with tight end Darren Fells for a four-yard score to get back within 10 of the Panthers, 27-17.
After a defensive stop, Stafford breathed life into the home crowd by leading another touchdown drive. The 53-yard series was highlighted by a third-down, 25-yard catch-and-run to Jared Abbrederis. Three plays later, after two incompletions, Stafford found Fells for a second score. The 20-yard touchdown and ensuing extra point made it 27-24 with 3:28 remaining.
With no timeouts remaining, the Lions defense couldn’t afford to give up a first down, but on third-and-9 Newton connected with Benjamin for 17 yards on a post route. After the two-warning, Newton took three straight knees to run out the clock.
Newton finished 26-of-33 passing for 355 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. Dickson caught five passes for 175 yards, and former Michigan star Devin Funchess had a team-high seven grabs.
Stafford was 23-of-35 for 229 yards and two TD; he also did not throw an interception.
The Lions’ run game managed just 50 yards, with a team-best 31 by Ameer Abdullah.
