14. Detroit Lions
Last week: 16th
The Detroit Lions took their loss last week against the Carolina Panthers personal, and they went to Arizona and absolutely took it out on the Cardinals.
The Lions scored 45 points, 38 of which came in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. What’s hilarious is that the Lions converted just 4-of-13 3rd-down attempts in this game, but Dan Campbell wasn’t taking “no” for an answer. The Lions were 4-for-4 on 4th-down attempts, and that aggressiveness paid off in a big way.
Jared Goff had another three touchdown passes. Jahmyr Gibbs had a huge game with 151 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 56 receiving yards. Jameson Williams had a pair of touchdowns.
Everyone got involved for the Lions, and it had to feel good for their fans to see that. Even if they were going up against the Cardinals, this was an important win for Detroit as everyone in the NFC North is at least staying in the conversation at 3-2 with the Vikings still one of the NFL’s unbeaten teams.
13. Carolina Panthers
Last week: 14th
Panthers were on a bye in Week 5***
The Carolina Panthers had one of the excruciatingly early bye weeks this season, and it’s hard to say it came at exactly the right time.
The Panthers were fresh off a very fun 32-26 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 4, continuing to prove that they are a team that can win any shootout with pretty much anyone. The question heading into the bye week for this Panthers team is whether or not that’s just how it’s going to be for this team all season.
The Panthers’ offense is averaging the 3rd-most points per game so far this season (30.3), but they are also giving up 27.3 points per game on average. That’s not exactly a formula for long-term success, so the defense is going to have to come back from the bye with a rejuvenated fire and focus.
Not to just brush the Panthers’ defense aside right now, but can we talk about how great Bryce Young has been? He might be playing his way into the MVP conversation, especially if the Panthers keep winning games.
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