Detroit Lions vs Carolina Panthers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/04/2026

Game Time: 8:20 pm ET, Sunday, October 4, 2026

Venue:  Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Where to Watch:  NBC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Lions -3.5, Panthers +3.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Lions -3.5, Panthers +3.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Lions -3.5, Panthers +3.5; Over/Under:  51 points

Detroit Lions:  2-1 (2nd place, NFC North)

Carolina Panthers:  1-2 (1st place, NFC South)

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Detroit Lions:  won their last game at home against the New York Jets 31-24.

Carolina Panthers:  lost their last game on the road against the Cleveland Browns 21-18.

The Lions are entering this game with a 2-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the New York Jets 31-24. Jared Goff was the starting QB and he completed 25/32 passes for 269 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Jahmyr Gibbs led the team in rushing yards with 99 and 2 TDs. Isaac TeSlaa led the receivers with 66 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Christian Izien led the defense in that game with 11 solo tackles while D.J. Wonnum led the defense in sacks with 2. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

The Panthers are entering this game with a 1-2 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-1 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against the Cleveland Browns 21-18. Bryce Young was the starting QB and he completed 26/48 passes for 291 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Chuba Hubbard led the team in rushing yards with 82. Brycen Tremayne led the receivers with 83 receiving yards on 4 receptions. Lathan Ransom led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles while Princely Umanmielen and Trevis Gipson each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have the Lions listed as a 3.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Lions have looked good in their games this season with their 2-1 record overall which has them right near the top of the NFC North. They haven't been a great road team though with their 0-1 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Panthers haven't looked great in their games this season with their 1-2 record overall, but that record has them right at the top of the NFC South. They haven't looked great on their home field either with their 0-1 home record this season. The Panthers are coming off a 21-18 loss to the Browns in their last one and that was the first game this year that their offense didn't look good. Bryce Young has been playing well this season, but the defense has still been a big issue for them. They gave up 37 points in a 59-37 loss to the Bears at home in week 1 and their only win this season was against a Falcons team that had no QB at the time. The Lions are coming off a 31-24 win over the Jets in their last one and they looked a lot better after getting embarrassed by the Bills the week before. The Lions didn't have a good defense last season and that hasn't really changed this year, but the offense has still been rolling in all 3 of their games. They have a ton of talent on offense that is going to put up points with how bad the Panthers have looked defensively. This game could easily turn into a shootout, but the Lions have a lot more offensive talent in that case and the Panthers won't be able to compete. The best way to place a bet here is on the Lions to cover the spread in this game. 

Lions Panthers Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, October 4, 2026 (8:20 pm ET start time) is Lions 38 Panthers 27.

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Detroit Lions: 23-33 ATS on the road as a road favorite of 7 points or less. 26-34 ATS on the road when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 25% to 40%). 9-16 ATS on the road off 3 or more consecutive overs. 23-14 OVER in all games. 7-2 OVER vs. bad defensive teams who give up 24 or more points/game.

Carolina Panthers: 8-4 ATS off a road loss. 16-6 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses. 5-1 ATS after a loss by 6 or less points. 12-4 OVER as a home underdog. 7-0 OVER in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 45.5. 11-6 OVER after playing their last game on the road.

Detroit Lions:  D. Reed (CB) Injured - Rib. D. Wonnum (DL) Injured - Back. B. Bartch (OG) Injured - Foot.

Carolina Panthers:  N. Scott (S) Injured - Rib. D. Lloyd (LB) Injured - Calf. D. Waller (TE) Injured - Rest. J. Coker (WR) Injured - Quadriceps. X. Legette (WR) Injured - Knee. D. Lewis (OG) Injured - Elbow. P. Umanmielen (LB) Injured - Ankle. B. Young (QB) Injured - Knee. C. Hubbard (RB) Injured - NIR-Rest. M. Freeling (OT) Injured - Concussion.

“Gibbs hit another gear once we got him going in the second half.” - Dan Campbell after his team’s win against the Jets in their last game. 

“We extended the drive for them, and if you give a guy like Deshaun Watson a little bit of extra time, and a few more opportunities, he’s going to get creative and find something.” - Dave Canales after his team’s loss against the Browns in their last game. 

WR TeSlaa, Isaac

WR Williams, Jameson

WR St. Brown, Amon-Ra

TE LaPorta, Sam

QB Goff, Jared

RB Gibbs, Jahmyr

WR McMillan, Tetairoa

WR Tremayne, Brycen

WR Coker, Jalen

TE Tremble, Tommy

QB Young, Bryce

RB Hubbard, Chuba

Passing: Jared Goff (802)

Rushing: Jahmyr Gibbs (307)

Receiving: Amon-Ra St. Brown (228)

Touchdowns: Jahmyr Gibbs (6)

Passing: Bryce Young (939)

Rushing: Chuba Hubbard (184)

Receiving: Jalen Coker (222)

Touchdowns: Chuba Hubbard (3)

Coaches:

Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell (6th season)

Carolina Panthers: Dave Canales (3rd season)