Three key takeaways from Carolina Panthers loss to Detroit Lions

Detroit “ran” to victory”

Yes, I know it is not a major advantage, but statistics don’t lie. The Detroit Lions had the advantage running the football today by a wide margin. In doing so, they won the battle inside the trenches.

Carolina ran the ball 16 times for 56 yards, averaging 3.5 yards per attempt. On the other hand, the Lions ran the ball 26 times for 94 yards, averaging 3.6 yards per attempt. The Panthers and Christian McCaffrey seemed to have trouble finding running lanes. The Lions did not seem to have much trouble at all, as they kept feeding the ball to their backs with great success. Leading the way was  Kerryon Johnson. He ran the ball 15 times for 87 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. A 24-yard run was his longest on the afternoon. For comparisons sake, McCaffrey’s longest run was a 10-yard scamper.

This is a matchup where I thought Carolina would have the edge. Including Sunday’s game, they rank ninth in the National Football League in rushing yards allowed on the season. With 891 yards on the year, they have been stingy for the most part. By comparison, Detroit ranks 23rd in rushing yards allowed. They have given up 1,194 yards on the season. To put it simply, they haven’t been great. However, the defense held strong on Sunday and gave the Panthers a run for their money. Ultimately it was just one of the many reasons why the Lions were able to come away with the victory.