With the 4-5 Detroit Lions looking to even their record at .500, their next stop takes them to Charlotte to face off against the 3-7 Panthers in this battle of the big city cats.
The last time these two teams met was two years ago and the Lions came away with a 20-19 victory after the Panthers failed on what would’ve been a game-winning two-point conversion.
Both squads face tough hurdles this week, with several injuries in crucial positions, making this look more like a hospital trip than an NFL game.
The Lions will be without Kenny Golladay, Danny Amendola, D’Andre Swift, Da’Shawn Hand, and Austin Bryant. And even though Matthew Stafford tore a ligament in his thumb, he is expected to play. With the massive injuries mainly to the wide receivers and defensive line, the Lions brought up Frank Herron and Mohamad Sanu for depth.
The Panthers will be without several offensive weapons, including Christian McCaffrey, starting left tackle Russell Okung, and starting right guard John Miller. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will be a game-time decision, and the Panthers would turn to either P.J. Walker or Will Grier to fill in if he can’t go.
According to NFL Pickwatch, 57-percent of experts are giving the Panthers a slight edge at the time of this writing. Honestly, this is a tough game to pick, considering they have no idea who will be on the field to make a fair judgment.
In the end, it will more than likely end up coming down to who overcame their injuries to a greater degree. If the Lions can get creative and hit some of the key concepts in the Honolulu Blueprint, they should be able to bring their record back to .500.
