Subscribe
Follow Us
With a Carolina Panthers Week 5 game scheduled against the Detroit Lions, a lot of eyes will be on the Panthers to see if they can pull off a massive upset and record their first win of the season. Ahead of the Panthers-Lions game, we’ll be making our Panthers Week 5 predictions.
The Panthers have struggled out of the gates under rookie quarterback Bryce Young, being held to 17 points or less in each of the three contests he's started in. Carolina hasn't been able to get the run game going with Miles Sanders as planned, putting a lot of pressure on the defense to consistently force punt and turnover situations. While Carolina's defense has played relatively well, the offense isn't holding up their end of the bargain under new head coach Frank Reich.
The lack of offensive playmakers in Carolina may have something to do with their early struggles. Adam Thielen has rattled off two very productive games, but the Panthers will need others to step up ahead of their Week 5 matchup with the Detroit Lions. With that in mind, let's get to the 3 bold Panthers predictions in this Week 5 game against the Lions.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
3. DJ Chark scores against his former team
In a matchup against his former teammates in Detroit, DJ Chark gets loose on the sideline and Bryce Young hits him with a perfect pass in stride to give the Panthers their deepest passing play of the year. Chark has been quiet so far this season, but the Lions are much more susceptible to the pass than the run, as Detroit is 1st in the league in least rushing yards allowed.
While the Lions are plenty aware of Chark's speed, his ability to create separation as a boundary receiver helps him reel in a touchdown and get a piece of revenge against his former team.
2. Bryce Young throws for a career-high in passing yards
Article Continues Below
The Lions are tough against the run, and Carolina hasn't been able to run it at nearly the same rate they did late last season. After getting shut down in the first quarter, the Panthers pivot to an uptempo aerial attack, and Young finishes the game with more than 204 passing yards, his career-high that he set in Week 1 against another vulnerable pass defense in the Minnesota Vikings.
While Young will deal with Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions pass rush all game, his ability to thread the needle over the middle and connect on a few deep hits keeps the Panthers in the game and closes the gap late in the game.
1. Carolina remains winless but only loses by a touchdown
The Lions appear to be one of the best teams in the NFC through the first four weeks, and the opposite can be said of the Panthers. While getting the ground game established will be critical moving forward, this isn't the week to do that. An expanded playbook and more faith in Bryce Young should lead to a better passing day, but ultimately, the Lions are too tough to take down playing at home and move to 4-1, while the Panthers remain winless at 0-5.
The positive takeaway however is the play of Young, who appears to turn a corner and takes more calculated risks throughout the game.
Final score prediction for Panthers-Lions in Week 5: Lions 24, Panthers 17
