The Carolina Panthers keep beating playoff contenders. Last week it was the New England Patriots 33-30 in Foxborough, this week it was the Detroit Lions 27-24 at Ford Field. We here at the Riot Report appreciate a good game-watch party, and we know sometimes beverages are had, conversations are had, and pizzas are eaten; if you missed any of the important happenings in yesterday’s win over the Lions, we’ve got you covered. And even if you saw every snap, sometimes you just want to relive the wins.
We get it.
After a Roaring Riot tailgate in the shadow of Comerica Park (which is in and of itself in the shadow of Ford Field, over 200 Panthers fans, all sitting together, marched into the Lions’ den. I promise that will be the last cat pun.
Jairus Byrd prepared to get his first snaps in a Panthers uniform, he would play a key role as the primary free safety in passing situations.
Stafford and the Lions started out hot, but stalled in the red zone and settled for a field goal to score first.
A 64-yard pass to tight end Ed Dickson would set up a field goal for the Panthers; Dickson said his lost shoe was the reason he was able to be tackled from behind by Darius Slay.
A penalty-laden drive would allow the Lions to score on a 1-yard touchdown run to go up 10-3 on the Panthers. The Panthers would have 7 penalties for 78 yards in the first half, finishing with 11 for 100 yards.
A well-designed play resulted in a shovel pass to Christian McCaffrey for his first NFL touchdown to tie it at 10.
A play-fake to Jonathan Stewart and a touchdown to hometown hero Devin Funchess made the score 17-10 heading into the half.
HALFTIME – PANTHERS 17, LIONS 10
Cam would come out hot again after the half, hitting Kelvin Benjamin with a beautiful dime on the left side of the endzone for a 24-10 lead.
The Panthers defense forced their first turnover in three weeks to give Graham Gano another field goal try to make it 27-10 in the third quarter. Overall, Julius Peppers and the rest of the defense would combine for six sacks on the day.
You knew the Lions wouldn’t make it easy, as their offensive weapons led by an injured Matthew Stafford were able to cut it to 27-24 with just over 3 minutes remaining.
After two run plays left the Panthers with a third-and-9 to decide the game, there wasn’t a question of who to go to. Newton to Benjamin for 17 yards and there’s only one more thing to do.
Celebrate.
FINAL – Panthers 27, Lions 24
