DETROIT, Mich. — The Detroit Lions rallied past the Carolina Panthers 20-19 in an NFL battle between two teams that had been going in opposite directions at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon.
Detroit brought a 3-6 record and a three-game losing streak into the contest while Carolina came in at 6-3.
The Panthers entered the fray as 4 1/2-point favorites.
Carolina received the opening kickoff, marched 90 yards downfield and jumped out to a 7-0 advantage on Cam Newton’s 1-yard scoring pass to tight end Greg Olsen, who was wide open with 9:27 showing on the clock.
The Lions came right back with an 8-yard scoring run by Kerryon Johnson to knot the count at 7-all with 2:36 left in the opener, a deadlock that stood until the initial break. Johnson later departed the proceedings with a knee injury.
Detroit took a 10-7 lead at intermission on Matt Prater’s 54-yard field goal with just 37 seconds to go.
The Panthers came out rejuvenated for the second half, but kicker Graham Gano missed his first field goal of the season and Prater came right back with a 32-yarder of his own for a 13-7 Lions lead with 3:47 to go in the third quarter, a gap that remained in effect at the final stop.
With 9:23 left in the game, Newton capped a 92-yard scoring drive by hitting Curtis Samuel with a TD pass. Gano then missed the extra point, leaving the two teams tied at 13.
The Lions retook the lead at 20-13 when quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with Kenny Golladay on a 19-yard diving catch in the end zone at the 5:13 juncture.
Newton drove Carolina downfield and eventually hurled an 8-yard TD pass to D.J. Moore with 1:07 to play. Due to Gano’s inconsistency, the Panthers then went for a 2-point conversion, but Newton’s pass attempt was incomplete, leaving the score at 20-19 with Detroit in charge as time elapsed.
The Lions are in the midst of a three-game homestand. Next up for Detroit will be a Thanksgiving Day home date at Ford Field against the Chicago Bears with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Panthers will move on to hosting the Seattle Seahawks at Bank of America Stadium next Sunday afternoon.
EARLIER STORY:
https://fox17online.com/2018/11/18/lions-slip-past-carolina-10-7-at-halftime/