Winner No. 4
Derrick Brown - Carolina Panthers DL
Facing Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs demanded big performances from big players. And even though Derrick Brown finished the game with one tackle, his exceptional work that didn't show up on the stat sheet played a leading role in limiting the dual-threat weapon.
Brown was a brute force in the trenches. He took double teams on almost every play and absorbed them effectively. This gave others space to make plays, and the 2020 first-round pick out of Auburn also recorded two crucial pass breakups at key moments.
While Brown's contribution will get largely overlooked compared to others, it was extremely important.
He sets the tone and draws the primary focus of opposing protection schemes. That will typically result in a numbers dip, but the interior lineman is making things easier for everybody.
And he's pushing the pile enough to make things extremely uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks. This is precisely what the Panthers need from Brown after the bye, too.
Loser No. 3
Akayleb Evans - Carolina Panthers CB
The Panthers took a troubling blow when Mike Jackson Sr. and Jaycee Horn were both placed on injured reserve. They are arguably the league's best cornerback tandem, and with Carolina not bringing in any outside help, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero had to rely on the depth options available.
Detroit's offense was probably the last thing they wanted to see, but the Panthers just had to keep fighting. They got some stops down the stretch when it counted, but Akayleb Evans was exposed as a weak link.
Evans made the squad as a special-teams ace, but this one required more. He struggled, to put it mildly, and the Lions picked up on it right away. He was burned for several deep gains, failed to keep up with Detroit's prolific weapons, and made some glaring mistakes.
Fortunately, it didn't affect the overall outcome. But general manager Dan Morgan must get proactive in acquiring cornerback help during the bye.
Winner No. 5
Tetairoa McMillan - Carolina Panthers WR
With Jalen Coker missing the contest with a quad injury and Xavier Legette on injured reserve with a knee injury, the onus fell on wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan to step up and become the guy in prime time.
And boy, he delivered.
From early on, it was clear the Panthers would give McMillan all the targets he could handle. The inept Lions secondary had no answer for the No. 8 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, who made plays all over the field en route to a career-best evening at the office.
McMillan caught 14 passes on 16 targets for 192 yards and two touchdowns. This came just one week after the Arizona product was practically shut out versus the Cleveland Browns, so this must be the recipe for success moving forward.
Panthers fans have always known that McMillan was a star. Now, the entire league knows it, too.
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