Carolina enters Week 4 at the top of the NFC South, but Panthers fans will be worried about their 1-2 record after three weeks. Detroit, meanwhile, sit second in the NFC North with a solid 2-1 record after beating the New York Jets at home in Week 3. Let’s take a look at the best bets and whether Detroit deserve their favorite status heading into this big Sunday Night Football game.
Lions vs Panthers Predictions, Picks & Odds - 8:15pm ET - 9/28/2026
- Detroit Lions - 3.5 @ -105 with BetMGM
- Detroit Lions Team Total - Over 28.5 @ -115 with BetMGM
- Bryce Young Passing Attempts - Over 33.5 @ -120 with BetMGM
All odds are courtesy of BetMGM, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
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Detroit Lions - 3.5
The Lions may be chasing the Packers in the NFC North, but they deserve to be favorites for this matchup. At best, you can say that Carolina have been inconsistent this season. At worst, critics can say that Dave Canales’ team have been bad.
The Panthers live and die by Bryce Young, while Detroit have a top-10 offense for both rushing and passing yards. Defensively, neither team is the most solid, but the Panthers’ injuries could be pivotal.
Carolina will be without two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn (quad) and his secondary partner Mike Jackson (groin). Young himself is also dealing with a minor lower-body injury. Receivers Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette are questionable for this game.
Even without these injuries, we’d like Detroit’s chances. With them, the Lions at -3.5 stands out as good value.
- Lions vs Panthers Pick 1: Detroit Lions - 3.5 @ -105 with BetMGM
Detroit Lions Team Total - Over 28.5
The Lions offense has been on another level this year. Detroit has scored the third-most points, averaging 31 points a game. They also have racked up over 368.3 yards per game at a rate of 5.6 yards per play. More importantly, the Lions have done a good job of keeping hold of the ball, with just two turnovers this season and a joint-second-best turnover rate of 3.1%.
Carolina, on the other hand, gave up 59 points to the Bears in Week 1 and 21 points to the Browns last week, which makes their 34-3 win over the Falcons look like a bit of a fluke. In any case, the Panthers will have a tough time keeping the Lions quiet this week after the big injuries to Horn and Jackson.
Dave Canales called Horn irreplaceable on Monday. We agree, so going over on the Lions points total makes sense here.
- Lions vs Panthers Pick 2: Detroit Lions Team Total - Over 28.5 @ -115 with BetMGM
Bryce Young Passing Attempts - Over 33.5
Bryce Young has been one of the most aggressive passers in the NFL this season. The 25-year-old has attempted the third most passes in the NFL (121) and has thrown for the most passing yards (939). This is mostly because the Panther’s don’t have many other offensive options.
Carolina has the fourth-fewest rushing attempts in the NFL this season (67) and Pro Football Focus placed their rushing group of Chuba Hubbard, Trevor Etienne, and AJ Dillon as 27th out of 32 teams in their preseason rankings. None of those running backs have stood out this season, proving PFF’s rankings right so far.
Given their limited options, we expect to see another big game from Young, especially if Carolina go down early. This makes betting over on his passing attempts a solid wager here.
- Lions vs Panthers Pick 3: Bryce Young Passing Attempts - Over 33.5 @ -120 with BetMGM
Lions vs Panthers at US Prediction Markets
US based sports traders can take positions on this week's marquee Sunday Night Football game between the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers on all of the best prediction market apps.
The Lions head into the game as favorites, priced at 65¢ on Kalshi and Polymarket. Detroit may have looked sluggish at times this season, but traders are clearly expecting Jahmyr Gibbs and company to flourish under the bright lights. This leaves the Panthers at 36¢ on the major exchanges. Traders seem to be anticipating high scores too, with the 50¢ mark around 51.5 points.
All prices correct at time of publication and subject to change.
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Lions vs Panthers Start Time
Week 4’s Sunday Night Football matchup will see the Detroit Lions take on the Carolina Panthers at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The game will kick off at 8:20pm ET on Sunday (10/4). It will be broadcast live on NBC as well as available to stream on Peacock.
Lions vs Panthers Game Details
- Start Time: 8:20pm ET
- Location: Bank of America Stadium
- Address: 800 S Mint St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Streaming: Peacock, NBC Sports App, NBC.com