Panthers Top Lions 32-26 in Sunday Night Return Behind Young and McMillan

Bryce Young and Tetairoa McMillan connected for two touchdowns as the Carolina Panthers beat the Detroit Lions 32-26 on Oct. 4, 2026, in their return to Sunday Night Football.

The Carolina Panthers marked their return to Sunday Night Football with a 32-26 win over the Detroit Lions at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The game was tied 16-16 at halftime before the Panthers took control behind quarterback Bryce Young and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who connected for two touchdowns.

Detroit opened the scoring with a long Jake Bates field goal after runs by Jahmyr Gibbs and an Amon-Ra St. Brown catch over the middle moved the Lions into Carolina territory; the drive stalled when the Panthers batted down a Jared Goff throw on third down. Carolina's first series ended when Alim McNeil drove left guard Corey Bullock into Young for a sack. Young then settled in with quick completions, and Chuba Hubbard finished the next possession with a 15-yard touchdown run to the left for a 7-3 lead. A Trevis Gipson personal foul for a low hit on Goff aided Detroit toward midfield late in the quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Devin Lloyd stuffed a Gibbs run, only for Gibbs to answer with a long gain off the left side. Latham Ransom's hit knocked the ball loose from Gibbs on a catch over the middle, and Dan Campbell's challenge failed to change the ruling; Bates' second field goal cut the lead to 7-6. Young then heated up, flipping a jump pass to McMillan while stepping away from pressure and hitting John Metchie on a fourth-down crosser for his 11th straight completion to open the game. One play after his first incompletion, a throwaway, Young found McMillan deep for a 32-yard touchdown, though Ryan Fitzgerald missed the extra point and the lead stood at 13-7.

Detroit pulled even on its next series, with Jameson Williams converting third downs, Akayleb Evans drawing a pass-interference flag in the end zone and Gibbs squeezing through the line for the Lions' first touchdown. In the final two minutes of the half, Young kept feeding McMillan into field-goal range — a potential intentional grounding went uncalled along the way — and Fitzgerald slipped the kick inside the left upright to make it 16-13. Goff went deep to Jameson Williams for a 49-yard gain to the edge of the red zone, but Evans broke up a pass in the end zone and the Lions kicked a field goal to send the game to halftime tied at 16-16. Young threw for 178 first-half yards, 147 of them to McMillan.

Carolina went back in front on the opening series of the second half. Young started with a swing pass to McMillan, Hubbard's running and catches by Brycen Tremayne and Metchie moved the chains, and Detroit was flagged for interference while trying to cover McMillan just outside the red zone. A Darren Waller catch set the Panthers up near the 10, and McMillan scored on a slant over the middle for his second touchdown. Fitzgerald missed the extra point again.

A personal foul on Detroit backed the Lions into a first-and-25 after a first down, yet Isaac TeSlaa still got behind the Carolina secondary for a 57-yard catch. Derrick Brown got a hand on a third-down pass to force a Detroit field goal. Young kept the offense moving with throws to Waller and Tremayne — the latter delivered on target as Young absorbed a hit — and another Metchie catch across the middle.

The Panthers lost Monroe Freeling during that stretch when his leg was fallen on, and Stone Forsythe took over at his spot. Hubbard then shed several tackle attempts on a run that reached the 2-yard line and scored on the next play, his second rushing touchdown of the night. Fitzgerald converted the extra point for a 29-19 lead, and the third quarter ended with the Lions driving into Carolina territory.

The final score was 32-26. McMillan's two touchdown catches and the penalties Detroit drew trying to contain him defined the Carolina passing game, while Hubbard's two scores on the ground complemented Young's efficient night in the franchise's winning return to the Sunday night stage.