The Carolina Panthers placed their two starting outside cornerbacks – Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson – on Reserve/Injured this week ahead of Detroit's matchup Sunday night against the Panthers in Charlotte.
It will be interesting to see how the absence of Horn and Jackson might influence the schemes Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero runs against the Lions.
It's something Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing also thought about this week as he prepared for the matchup.
"It adds to the unknown. There's an element of, 'Do they change? Do they not? Who's going to be in the game? How are they going to organize it? What personnel packages do they want to play with?'" Petzing said this week.
The Lions' offense is used to the unknown so far this season, seeing teams play them different than what they've shown on tape vs. other opponents.
"I feel like honestly we've been getting a lot of different looks than what we've seen on tape with a lot of opponents we've seen this year," Lions All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said this week. "We're expecting one thing, but also, you can expect the unexpected, too. We've got to be able to make adjustments in-game."
Defenses have played Detroit with a lot of two-safety shell coverages early this season trying to limit explosive plays with the strategy of making the Lions earn their points by driving the field.
It's something quarterback Jared Goff has excelled at so far this season. Goff has eight touchdowns and no interceptions, and the offense has scored 31 points in each of their first three contests.
"You start understanding that shot called doesn't mean shot taken," Goff said of the evolution in his game over the last three or four years in terms of being willing to take what defenses give him.
It certainly helps having good running backs, tight ends and wide receivers that can turn a short throw into a big gain, but it has been an adjustment early this season.
Detroit has nine completions of 20-plus yards (ranked 14th) and just one run of 20-plus yards this season. In 2025, the Lions finished third in the league with 66 completions of 20-plus yards and sixth with 14 runs of 20-plus yards.
"I think we have a pretty explosive offense with guys that can make a lot of plays and a lot of defenses want to keep us in front of them as much as they can," St. Brown said. "Try to limit explosives and have us go the long way and put together a lot of plays and long drives."
How will Carolina's defense minus a couple key pieces in their secondary Sunday decide to play Detroit?
MCNEILL OFF TO GOOD START
Veteran defensive lineman Alim McNeill said in training camp he finally felt back to himself after tearing his ACL in December of 2024 and not fully trusting his leg when he returned the lineup the second half of last season.
So far this season, McNeill has looked the part of a dominant interior defender.
He's recorded 2.0 sacks and his 13 total pressures are the fourth-most among all interior defenders across the league.
"I feel really good. I feel like I'm back to me," McNeill said this week. "I feel good about where I'm at play-wise. I'm always really critical on myself. I've made a couple plays but I don't feel like I've made enough. That's just what I want to continue to do and try to make as many plays as I can to help the team every week."
McNeill and fellow defensive lineman Tyleik Williams’ pocket push inside will be critical this week against quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers.
MILLER VS. FREELING
The Lions wanted to get younger and more athletic upfront along their offensive line this offseason and taking a tackle in the first-round of the 2026 NFL Draft was a priority. When they got on the clock at pick No. 17, they had their choice of two top talents: Clemson's Blake Miller and Georgia's Monroe Freeling.
The Lions took Miller over Freeling mostly because of Miller's experience, having made 54 starts at the position in four seasons at Clemson and setting a school record for most snaps from scrimmage. Freeling started just 17 college games. Detroit took Miller at No. 17 and Freeling went two picks later at No. 19 to Carolina.
"Yeah, obviously, we held both in high regard," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. "We did. And there was so much to it. High grades on both. I think probably for us it was just (Miller), he's taken a ton of reps.
"That was a little bit more of what it's come to. Listen, (Freeling's) doing a good job and he's going to continue to grow just like our guy is. The more reps you get, the better you get. And so that's really what it came down to, just more experience over a four-year period at starting at tackle. That's it. But both really good tackles, athletic, trait, skill, all of it."
Miller's earned a 73.2 overall PFF grade so far this season, 20th among 70 qualified offensive tackles. He's played 142 offensive snaps on the season. His pass-blocking grade of 80.6 ranks seventh among 70 qualified offensive tackles. His run-blocking grade of 68.6 ranks 26th at the position. He's allowed three total pressures, no sacks and one quarterback hit.
Freeling's earned a 62.2 overall PFF grade, 45th among 70 qualified offensive tackles. He's played 204 offensive snaps. His pass-blocking grade of 61.3 ranks 53rd among 70 qualified offensive tackles. His run-blocking grade of 67.8 ranks 27th. He's allowed 14 total pressures in pass protection with 2.0 sacks and three quarterback hits.
EXTRA POINTS
-Campbell was asked Friday about cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and how involved the Lions were in trade talks leading up to Porter being dealt from Pittsburgh to Dallas for a sixth-round pick next year and a second-round pick in 2028.
"Yeah, Brad (Holmes), he's been on it for a while and that's been ongoing and everything's got to align right. And Cowboys did what they wanted to do, but we were very much in on it."
Campbell was then asked if there is still a desire to add a cornerback before the trade deadline.
"Just like any year, man, it's nonstop," he said. "(Holmes is) constantly looking to upgrade this roster to every position. If we can find somebody that we feel like fits us and can help us and the value's right, we will."
-Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch, who is currently on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list as he rehabs a torn Achilles suffered last December, is close to returning to the practice field, Campbell said Friday.
"He's close. He's ready to go. I'm tired of listening to him," Campbell said. "I mean that in a good way. Man, he's put in a ton of work and he looks really good. He's close."
