Sunday Night Football: Lions vs. Panthers Picks and Preview
Matchup Preview
Detroit (2-1) heads to Charlotte with one of the league's best offenses and one of its worst defenses. The Lions have scored at least 31 points in all three games and are allowing a league-high 31.7 points per game. Jared Goff has 802 yards, 8 touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion rate above 70%. Only six quarterbacks in NFL history have opened a season that well. The flip side: Detroit is 0-2-1 against the spread, because the defense keeps giving back what the offense builds.
Carolina (1-2) lost both starting cornerbacks this week. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson went on injured reserve Wednesday, so Akayleb Evans, who has started only two games since 2024, and rookie Will Lee III, making his first start, will cover Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Expect safeties to shade toward the outside. That opens the seams for Sam LaPorta against a Panthers defense that just gave up two touchdowns to Cleveland tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Detroit has its own injuries: CB D.J. Reed (ribs) is questionable, center Cade Mays is on IR, and guard Ben Bartch is out.
The Panthers can score, too. Bryce Young leads the NFL with 939 passing yards and Carolina ranks top seven in scoring and total offense. Young will be missing guard Damien Lewis (out) and possibly his leading receiver, Jalen Coker (questionable, quad), against a Detroit pass rush that has 12 sacks, second-most in the league. Carolina's defense has forced 7 takeaways, also second in the league, and held Bijan Robinson to 81 scrimmage yards in Week 2. But Gibbs plus Goff is a much bigger problem than Robinson plus Cooper Rush.
Weather won't be a factor. Charlotte is forecasting a cloudy, calm night in the mid-60s with no rain. Carolina is 6-1 at home all-time against Detroit, but the bigger story is a banged-up secondary facing the hottest quarterback in football. The scoreboard should be busy.
The Picks
Pick 1: Over 51 (-110) at BetOnline
Detroit's games have totaled 55, 72 and 61 points this season. Now the Lions face a defense starting two backup corners, while their own defense is allowing a league-worst 31.7 points per game to a Carolina offense ranked top seven in scoring. Bovada is at 51.5 and Lucky Rebel at 52, so take 51 at BetOnline before the half point disappears.
Pick 2: Jared Goff Over 258.5 Passing Yards (-113) at Lucky Rebel
Goff is averaging 267 yards per game at better than 70% completions, and tonight he faces the thinnest secondary he has seen all year. Carolina loaded up to stop the run against Atlanta and is expected to do the same against Gibbs, which leaves St. Brown, Williams and LaPorta in one-on-one coverage against inexperienced corners. Lucky Rebel's -113 is two cents better than Bovada's -115.
Pick 3: Panthers +4 (-115) at Bovada
Detroit hasn't covered a spread yet this season, and a defense allowing 31.7 points per game gives Young plenty of room for a backdoor cover in a shootout. Carolina is 6-1 at home against the Lions and ranks second in the league with 7 takeaways, the kind of defense that can flip a single possession. Take +4 at Bovada instead of the +3.5 at BetOnline and Everygame: the extra half point turns a 4-point Lions win from a loss into a push.
Best Bet
Our best bet is Over 51 (-110) at BetOnline: Detroit's offense facing two backup corners while its own defense leaks 31.7 points per game adds up to a total the market hasn't caught up to.