No Jalen Coker. No Xavier Legette. No problem for Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers.
Playing without two of their top wide receivers and missing multiple offensive linemen, Young and the Panthers turned in their best offensive performance of the young season Sunday night, beating the Detroit Lions 32-26 in the first Sunday Night Football game at Bank of America Stadium since 2015.
Young completed 29 of 41 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns without an interception as Carolina improved to 2-2 heading into its bye week.
His favorite target was Tetairoa McMillan, who delivered the biggest game of his young career with 14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Chuba Hubbard added 122 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries as Carolina piled up 445 yards of offense.
The Panthers needed nearly all of it.
Carolina led 32-19 midway through the fourth quarter before Jared Goff’s first touchdown pass of the night, an 8-yard strike to Sam LaPorta, pulled Detroit within 32-26 with 3:42 remaining.
After missing six consecutive passes, Young responded with one of the biggest throws of the night, connecting with McMillan along the sideline for a first down. McMillan managed to get both feet down, allowing Carolina to burn more time before eventually punting.
TOE TAP TMAC 📺 NBC #DETvsCAR https://t.co/1v1vquNLND — Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 5, 2026
Detroit got the ball back at its own 13 with 2:12 remaining and a chance to drive for the winning touchdown.
The Panthers defense looked gassed but didn’t let it happen.
Princely Umanmielen sacked Goff immediately after the two-minute warning, and Detroit eventually came up two yards short on fourth down. Young took two knees from there to finish off Carolina’s biggest victory of the season.
“He makes it easy on me,” Young said of McMillan during NBC’s postgame broadcast. “He gets open. He’s super QB friendly.”
Carolina gets next weekend off before returning to face Philadelphia on the road on Sunday, Oct. 18.
📊 Numbers That Matter
- 329: Passing yards for Bryce Young, who completed 29 of 41 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
- 1,268: Young’s NFL-leading passing-yard total through four games.
- 192: Career-high receiving yards for Tetairoa McMillan on 14 catches. He also caught two touchdown passes.
- 122: Rushing yards for Chuba Hubbard on 20 carries, including two touchdowns.
- 445: Total yards for Carolina against Detroit.
- 46: Rushing yards allowed by the Panthers. Detroit finished with 452 total yards but did almost all of its damage through the air.
🏈 Follow the Panthers all season: Visit our Carolina Panthers Football Hub for the complete 2026 schedule, scores, team information, season snapshot and the latest NC Football News coverage.
