D’Onta Foreman ran for 165 yards and Chuba Hubbard racked up 125 yards on the ground as the Carolina Panthers got back on track by trouncing the Detroit Lions 37-23 on Saturday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C.
A week after gaining only 21 rushing yards, the Panthers used a punishing ground attack right from the start on the way to snapping the Lions’ three-game winning streak.
Foreman, Raheem Blackshear and quarterback Sam Darnold all scored rushing touchdowns as the Panthers (6-9) won for the third time in their last four games and remained within a game of first place in the NFC South.
The Panthers’ quest for the divisional title will take them to road games against Tampa Bay and New Orleans to close the regular season.
Amid frigid conditions for Carolina’s home finale, Darnold threw for a touchdown as part of his 15-for-22 day with 250 yards through the air. DJ Moore made five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes to tight end Shane Zylstra for the Lions (7-8), but this result was damaging to Detroit’s wild-card aspirations. Goff finished 25 for 42 for 355 yards. DJ Chark made four catches for 108 yards.
Of the Panthers’ 570 yards of total offense, 320 came on the ground.
Hubbard picked up 70 yards in just three carries on Carolina’s first possession, with the Panthers going 78 yards in five plays, ending on Blackshear’s 7-yard touchdown run.
The Lions pulled even on Zylstra’s 3-yard pass from Goff. Detroit’s next possession ended in a fumble after moving 82 yards on 13 plays, when Yetur Gross-Matos recovered Goff’s fumbled snap at the Carolina 9-yard line.
The Panthers scored 17 points in the final 9:35 of the first half, capped by Eddy Pineiro’s 37-yard field goal on the final play before the break. The Panthers had a team-record 364 yards of first-half total offense.
The margin ballooned to 31-7 on Darnold’s 5-yard pass play to Moore on the Panthers’ first possession of the second half. Pineiro added fourth-quarter field goals from 40 and 36 yards.
Zylstra caught touchdowns of 7 yards and 1 yard in the second half but Detroit could not draw closer than 14 points.
–Field Level Media
