Tetairoa McMillan caught 14 passes for a career-high 192 yards and two touchdowns as the Carolina Panthers beat the Detroit Lions 32-26 on Sunday Night Football, spoiling a 412-yard passing night from Jared Goff.
Bryce Young completed 29 of 41 passes for 329 yards and both touchdowns to McMillan, and Chuba Hubbard ran 20 times for a season-high 122 yards and two scores as Carolina won at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The game kicked off at 11:20am AEDT on Monday 5 October, and both teams are now 2-2. Statistics are from ESPN’s box score and the Associated Press match report.
McMillan carries an injury-hit Panthers attack
With receivers Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette both out injured, Young leaned heavily on McMillan, the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year. McMillan had nine catches for 147 yards in the first half alone, including a 32-yard touchdown, then added a 10-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
According to AP, he joined Steve Smith Sr. and Patrick Jeffers as the only Panthers players with at least 10 catches, 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a game, and finished one catch and 9 yards short of matching the franchise single-game records.
After punting on their opening drive, the Panthers scored on six straight possessions. Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald made field goals from 47 and 33 yards but missed two extra points, one off the right upright and one wide right.
Goff’s big night not enough for Detroit
Goff completed 32 of 52 passes for 412 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. Jameson Williams caught six passes for 102 yards, Isaac TeSlaa had four for 95 and Sam LaPorta eight for 84. Jahmyr Gibbs scored his seventh touchdown of the season, and Jake Bates kicked four field goals from four attempts, the longest from 54 yards.
Detroit was level at 16-16 at half-time after a 49-yard catch by Williams set up a Bates field goal on the last play of the half. The Lions’ defence could not get off the field in the second half, AP reported, and Carolina built a 32-19 lead before Goff found LaPorta for an 8-yard touchdown with 3:38 left. Detroit got one last chance from its own 13 with 2:12 remaining but could not pick up a first down, and Young knelt twice to finish the game.
Injuries and what’s next
Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin left in the second half with a hamstring injury. For Carolina, first-round rookie right tackle Monroe Freeling hurt a knee in the third quarter and did not return, and linebacker Jaelan Phillips left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury, AP reported.
The Lions play the Arizona Cardinals away next Sunday (US time), while the Panthers have a bye before visiting the Philadelphia Eagles on 18 October (US time). For the rest of the round, see our NFL Week 4 results wrap.
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