Detroit Lions 26 vs 17 Carolina Panthers summary, scores and highlights | NFL Preseason

The Lions win their preseason finale as they now set their sights on the Kansas City Chiefs who they will play on Kick off Thursday in Week 1. 

Steven Gilmore Jr. iced the game with this 11 yard pick six after ripping the ball out of the hands of the receiver. Plays like that help guys like him make rosters in the NFL. 

Spencer Brown was the leading rusher for the Panthers, going for 51 yards on 13 carries as Matt Corral led the only TD drive of the second half for the home side. 

He went 4/12 for 52 yards in the final game of the preseason. 

Just three plays later Teddy Bridgewater hit Antoine Green for this 70 yards catch and run for a TD and the Panthers would put another field goal on the board before halftime after the Panthers fumbled on the next play from scrimmage. 

Bridgewater looked much better in his second game with the Lions after getting picked up just two weeks ago. He went 13/22 for 178 yard and this TD. 

Andy Dalton had the Panthers knocking at the door but this Chase Lucas diving interception swung the game in the Lions favor as DET went down and scored right before the half. 

The Lions were held scoreless in the first quarter as all of Detroit's starters sat the final preseason game. Craig Reynolds put his side on the board with this 5 yard TD run. He ended the night with 41 yards on 11 carries. 

Young led two scoring drives in his two first quarter possessions, the first one ended in a field goal and the second ended with this 16 yard dime to Adam Thielen. The rookie went 7/12 for 73 yards with a TD and had 21 yards on the ground. 

Bryce Young got the start in the Panthers last preseason game and had his best performance to date, doing it with his arm and his legs. 

The Lions kneel out the clock and that will do it for the Panthers and the Lions preseason slate. 

DET make a comeback with 20 second quarter points and hold on for a 26-17 win in Carolina. 

FUMBLE!!

Peoples looked like he made a great catch after a beautiful throw that went for a TD, but after the review the refs deem that he made the catch, fumbled it out of bounds and gave the Lions a touchback!

DET get the ball back at the 20. 

Luton to Peoples out of the backfield and that goes for 6 yards before he is pushed out of bounds. 

2nd and 4 from the DET 19. 

Luton finds Jennings on the out route to the right side and that will move the chains. 

1st and 10 from the DET 25 after the 12 yard pick up. 

Luton going deep down the left side to Smith but the coverage was good and the pass falls incomplete. We are headed to the Two Minute Warning. 

2nd and 10 from the DET 37.

Luton finds Ricci again, this time over the middle for a 15 yard pitch and catch. 

1st and 10 from the DET 37. 

Luton finds Ricci on the left side and that catch and run goes for 18 yards. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 48. 

Luton looking for Tremble and that pass was jarred out of his hands by Nelson. 

3rd and 5 from the CAR 30. 

Luton finds Smith for a 5 yard pick up on the right side. 

2nd and 5 fro the CAR 30

Luton looking for Jennings on the right side and that was broken up by Gilmore. 

3rd and 21 from the CAR 4. 

Luton is dropped for a second straight play dating back to the last possession and Covington dropped him for 11 yards. 

2nd and 21 from the 4. 

CAR get the ball back at the 12 with 4 minutes to go, down by 3. 

Martinez rolling right, and he ran out of room and was sacked for a loss of 2 by Eley. 

4th and 4 and the Lions will put after another three and out. 

Snell up the middle for an 8 yard pick up. 

3rd and 2 from the DET 41. 

The Lions get the ball back at their 33 with 5 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. 

Martinez over the middle for Davis and that pass is incomplete after some good coverage from Miiller. 

2nd and 10 from the DET 33. 

Luton is dropped in the backfield by Houston for a 12 yard loss. 

4th and 22 and the Panthers go three and out. 

Luton over the middle for Jennings and he couldn't make the catch with the defender draped all over him. 

3rd and 10 from the CAR 32. 

Luton under center for the rest of the game and he lofts it up to Saunders but that pass was well overthrown. 

2nd and 10 from the CAR 32. 

Martinez's throw to Davis skips off the grass and the Lions go three and out. 

4th and 4 and the Lions will punt. 

Snell with the carry out of the shotgun and he takes it 6 yards up the middle. 

3rd and 4 from the DET 22. 

DET gets the ball back at the 16 and Martinez's pass to Daniels is incomplete. 

2nd and 10 from the 16.

Corral looking for Jennings on the left side and Richardson was there to swat the pass away. 

4th and 10 and the Panthers will punt. 

Corral to Jennings on the crossing route and he picks up 10 yards to make it 3rd and manageable. 

3rd and 10 from the CAR 41. 

Corral scrambles for no gain and a holding call will back the Panthers up 10 yards. 

2nd and 20 from the CAR 31. 

Peoples gets the first down handoff and he is stopped at the line of scrimmage. 

2nd and 10 from the CAR 41. 

Corral lofts one to the left sideline and he hits Saunders for 18 yard before he runs out of bounds. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 41. 

Brown up the middle on first down for 4 yards. 

2nd and 6 from the CAR 23. 

Brown moves the chains on a short run of three yards. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 19. 

Corral's pass was deflected at the line by Lucas. 

3rd and 2 from the CAR 16. 

Brown with the first down run and he ges 8 yards on the run to the left side. 

2nd and 2 from the CAR 16. 

Martinez couldn't find Helm on third down and the Lions go three and out. 

4th and 5 from the 50. 

Martinez finds Benson in the flat and he gets 6 yards on the right side. 

3rd and 5 from the 50. 

Ozigbo gets the handoff up the middle but he is drilled in the backfield for a loss of a yard. 

2nd and 11 from the DET 44. 

The Panthers go three and out and punt the ball away giving DET the ball back around midfield. 

Martinez looks for Alexander on the slant to the right side and that falls incomplete. 

4th and 16 after a false start and the Lions will punt. 

Martinez bobbled the shotgun snap and ran it out of bounds for a loss of 4. That's the last play of the third quarter. 

3rd and 11 from the CAR 39. 

Snell with another pitch to the left side and he gets 3 yards this time. 

2nd and 7 from the CAR 35. 

Martinez over the middle and he finds Cota on the crossing route for a 16 yard pick up. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 38. 

Snell gets the pitch to the left side and he tip toes down the sideline for 8 yards. 

2nd and 2 from the DET 46. 

Martinez shuffling around the pocket and he finally tucks and runs for 5 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the DET 38. 

Martinez finds Alexander over the middle of the field for 7 yards. 

3rd and 2 from the DET 33. 

DET start their drive from the 25 and Snell gets maybe on yard on first down. 

2nd and 9 form the DET 26. 

Play action out of the shotgun and Corral finds Ricci for a 17 yard catch and run. 

1st and Goal from the DET 4. 

Brown picks up the first down with a two yard carry. 

1st and 10 from the DET 21. 

Brown gets another handoff on first down and takes it 9 yards up the middle. 

2nd and 1 from the DET 23. 

Corrall showing some speed on the scramble as he tucks and runs for 27 yards and a first down conversion. 

1st and 10 from the DE 32. 

Corral's pass over the middle to Smith was incomplete. 

3rd and 9 from the CAR 41. 

First down handoff to Peoples who gets a yard up the middle. 

2nd and 9 from the CAR 41. 

Martinez is wrapped up at the line of scrimmage and the Lions will punt. 

4th and 6 from the DET 26. 

Martinez rolls right and finds Ozigbo on the sideline but he couldn't keep his feet inbounds. 

3rd and 6 from the DET 26. 

Stop route from Alexander who was hit abruptly after a 4 yard pick up. 

2nd and 6 from the DET 26. 

Martinez finds Moore open on the right sideline for a 6 yard pick up and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the DET 22. 

Ozigbo to the left side and he picks up 2 on the second down run. 

3rd and 2 from the DET 16. 

DET take over from the 8 and it's Adrian Martinez under center after Sudfeld got hurt last series. He takes the RPO on his own and takes it 6 yards on first down. 

2nd and 4 from the 14. 

Corral had Tremble on the out route to the left side, but he led him too much towards the sideline. 

Carolina will punt on 4th and 10. 

Corral looking for Wims again, and again that pass falls incomplete. 

3rd and 10 from the CAR 32. 

Corral backing up as the pressure came and he almost found Wims on the left sideline but the pass was batted out of his hands. 

2nd and 10 from the CAR 32. 

Brown gets the handoff on 3rd and short and dives forward for the 1st down. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 32. 

Corral's first pass to Wims is complete and that goes for 7 yards. 

3rd and short coming up for the Panthers. 

Corrall under center for the Panthers and he hands it off to Brown for two yards. 

2nd and 8 from the CAR 22. 

Sudfeld was flushed out of the pocket and was forced to throw it out of bounds. 

4th and 13 from the DET 39 and the Lions will punt. 

Sudfeld is getting helped off the field after suffering a late injury on that play. 

Sudfeld hit Helm in the hands on the short out route but he dropped it. 

3rd and 13 from the DET 39. 

Smith is cut down in the backfield by Smith for a loss of three yards. 

2nd and 13 from the DET 39. 

Sudfeld with a beautiful back shoulder throw down the right sideline for Green. 

1st and 10 from the DET 42. 

Sudfeld on the boot leg and his pass to Cota was way overthrown. 

3rd and 5 from the DET 30. 

The Lions get the ball to start the third quarter and Sudfeld will be under center the rest of the way. 

He hits Cota on a short pass to the left side for 6 yards. 

2nd and 4 from the 31. 

WE ARE BACK IN CHARLOTTE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!

Three plays later, it was Green taking the pass over the middle 70 yards for the TD to take the 17-10 lead. A Carolina fumble set up another DET field goal to end the half up 20-10. Bridgewater was 13/22 for 178 yards and a TD in the first half. 

The Panthers were knocking on the door, but Chase Lucas made the diving interception to take points off the board and set up a scoring drive for DET. 

After a scoreless first quarter, Craig Reynolds broke into the endzone for a 5 yard TD run. He went for 11 carries and 41 yards and this TD. 

Bryce Young looked great in his final preseason warm up before Week 1, going 7/12 for 73 yards and 1 TD. 

WE ARE HEADING TO THE HALFTIME BREAK WITH THE LIONS UP 17-10 AFTER GOING DOWN 10-0 TO START THE NIGHT. 

Comeback route from Drummond for 10 yards and a first down, DET call a TO with 40 on the clock. 

1st and 10 from the DET 30. 

Bridgewater's pass to Cota was behind the WR. 

2nd and 10 from the DET 20. 

INTERCEPTION!!!

Dalton looking for Wims in the end zone and Lucas makes a diving interception for the red zone turnover!!!

What a catch and the Lions get the ball back at the 20 with 51 seconds to go!

Dalton over the top for Thomas and he had him but the pass was underthrown and Nowaske made the play to break up the TD. 

3rd and 7 from the DET 14. 

Brown gets the run up the middle for three yards on first down. 

2nd and 7 from the DET 14 and the Lions take a TO with 1:01 to go. 

Tremble with a crossing route over the middle and the pass hit him right in stride for a catch and run of 21 yards. 

1st and 10 from the DET 17. 

Dalton's pass to Brown goes for 5 yards before he is pushed out of bounds. 

1st and 10 from the DET 38. 

Dalton finds Brown out of the backfield for 9 yards on first down. 

2nd and 1 fro the DET 43. 

Slant pattern underneath for Jennings for 10 yards and a first down and that takes us to the Two Minute Warning. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 48. 

Brown gets the handoff on 1st down and picks up 2 yards. 

2nd and 8 from the CAR 38. 

Quick pass on the slant for Cota, and that pass is broken up by Taylor. 

4th and 2 from the DET 27 and the Lions will punt with 2:30 to go in the half. 

Reynolds up the middle and he picks up 8 yards. 

3rd and 2 from the DET 27. 

Pass incomplete to Daniels on the right side. 

2nd and 10 from the DET 19. 

Out route from Drummond on the other side and he makes a diving catch for the first down!

1st and 10 from the DET 19 after the five yard gain. 

Out route to Drummond on the left side and he is pushed out of bounds after a 5 yard gain. 

3rd and 3 from the DET 14. 

DET get the ball back from their 7 and Reynolds gets a couple yards on first down. 

2nd and 8 from the DET 9. 

Dalton looking for one of two WRs who were in the area, but neither get to it although Smith was the closest. 

4th and 10 and the Panthers will punt with 5:15 to go in the half. 

Dalton looking for Tremble over the middle but that pass was jarred out of his hands. 

3rd and 10 from the CAR 40. 

Brown is hit at the line and is stopped for no gain. 

2nd and 10 from the CAR 40. 

Dalton goes for the middle for Jennings who made the adjustment and reels in the catch. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 40. 

CAR start their drive with a screen pass and Thomas is cut down for a loss of 4 yards after DET looked like they were waiting for that play. 

2nd and 14 from the CAR 20. 

It took over a half but the Lions got into the end zone on this six yards Reynolds TD run. 

FIELD GOAL DETROIT!!

A false start backs up the Lions and they bring the FG unit out. Patterson hits the kick from 25 and we are all tied up. 

It's 10-10 with 7:42 to go in the half. 

Bridgewater looking for Cota in the endzone and he had it in his hands but bobbled and dropped it. 

4th and Goal and the Lions will go for it. 

Reynolds gets stopped for a loss of one after the hand off from the shot gun. 

3rd and Goal from the 2. 

Reynolds powering his way up the middle for a 6 yard run. 

2nd and Goal from the 1. 

Deep shot from Bridgewater to Cota and a pass interference call will put the Lions inside the 10!

1st and Goal from the CAR 7. 

Bridgewater over the middle for Benson for 4 yards on the crossing route. 

3rd and 5 from the CAR 43. 

Reynolds to the right side and he gets a yard on first down. 

2nd and 9 from the CAR 47. 

Deep slant from Drummond and he makes a sliding catch for a 20 yard pick up. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 48. 

Bridgewater looking for Cota on the comeback route but that timing was off on that pass. 

2nd and 10 from the DET 32. 

Quick throw to Thomas on the shallow out route to the right side but he wasn't ready for the pass. 

4th and 2 and the Panthers will punt. 

Blackshear up the middle for a 4 yard gain. 

3rd and 2 from the CAR 28. 

Young's night is done and Andy Dalton makes his Carolina debut. He finds Smith for a short 4 yard gain but left it high and let his receiver take a shot. 

2nd and 6 from the CAR 24. 

Reynolds is stopped for a short gain of 1. 

3rd and Goal from the 5. 

Bridgewater on the bootleg and didn't have many options so he grounds it into the turf. 

2nd and Goal from the CAR 6. 

Reynolds breaks it out to the right sideline and he is pushed out of bounds after getting 11 yards. 

1st and Goal from the CAR 6. 

Bridgewater finds Cabinda on the short pass to the left side for 4 yards. 

2nd and 6 from the CAR 16. 

Handoff to Reynolds out of the shotgun for a 4 yard pick up and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 20. 

Young is having his best night of the preseason by far and he found Thielen for his first TD of his NFL career. 

Pass to the flat for Drummond on the right side and he takes it 6 yards on the last play of the first quarter. 

3rd and 3 from the CAR 24 coming up.

Reynolds gets the first down hand off and he picks up maybe a yard. 

2nd and 9 from the CAR 30. 

Reynolds gets four yards, and a defensive holding will give the Lions a free first down. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 31. 

Bridgewater goes deep down the middle side to Cota on the skinny seam route for a 21 yard gain off the play action. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 40. 

DET start their drive from the 33 and Bridgewater finds Benson for a five yard pick up on the short stop route. 

2nd and 5 from the DET 38. 

Blackshear is hit at the line of scrimmage and picks up maybe two after continuing to drive his feet. 

3rd and 4 from the DET 16. 

Young dumps it down to Blackshear for a 4 yard pick up. 

2nd and 6 from the DET 18. 

Young saw the seas part and he took the space given to him for a 1st down on the 13 yard scramble up the middle. 

1st and 10 from the DET 32. 

Young's pass to Mingo on the deep out to the right but the WR slipped and the pass falls incomplete. 

3rd and 9 from the CAR 35. 

Brown with a run to the left side for two yards, but an illegal formation will bring the Panthers back. 

2nd and 9 from the DET 35. 

Brown up the middle and he picks up 6 on a run up the middle. 

2nd and 4 from the DET 32. 

CAR start the drive from their 43 and he finds Thielen for 21 yards on the right sideline!

1st and 10 from the DET 36. 

MISSED FIELD GOAL!!!

Patterson had the right line but it came up short on the 53 yard field goal. That's not a long field goal by today's standards and would have tied his career high, but he left it short!

CAR lead 3-0 with 6:22 to go in the 1st quarter. 

Screen pass to Reynolds on third and long and he gets 5 yards to make the FG a little easier. 

4th and 8 from the CAR 35. 

Bridgewater rolls right looking for Mitchell but that pass was a bit too high. 

3rd and 13 from the CAR 40. 

Bridgewater finds Mitchell on the right side for 7 yards to get some of the penalty yardage back. 

2nd and 13 from the CAR 40. 

Reynolds to the left side for three yards on the first down run but a holding call will bring the Lions back. 

1st and 20 from the CAR 47.. 

What a runback from Dorsey who ran into a pile of players but broke loose and took it 62 yards and DET start their first drive from the CAR 37. 

FIELD GOAL CAROLINA!!!

Pineiro comes on for the first time today and drills the 41 yard field goal after the best drive of Young's preseason. He went 4/8 for 32 yards and set up the FG try. 

CAR lead 3-0 after the first possession. 

Young going to the end zone but didn't have much and throws it out of the back of the end zone. 

4th and 17 from the DET 27. 

Young looking for Theilen on the back shoulder throw to the left side but the WR couldn't drag it in. 

3rd and 17 from the DET 23. 

DET gets into the backfield and get their hands on Young for the first time, dropping him for a 7 yard loss. 

2nd and 17 from the DET 23. 

Young looking for the back shoulder throw for Wright, and the timing wasn't there but a pass interference call will keep this drive alive. 

1st and 10 from the DET 16. 

Young going deep down the left sideline and he had Wright, but he just overthrew him by a yard. 

3rd and 10 from the DET 27. 

WR screen was sniffed out by DET and Young saw it and grounded it. 

2nd and 10 from the DET 27. 

Blackshear hit at the line, but carried a couple defenders over the marker for a first down. 

1st and 10 from the DET 27. 

Young dumps it down to Thielen in the flat and he picks up 8 yards before taking a shot and staying down on the ground. Injury timeout from CAR. 

2nd and 2 from the DET 30 coming up. 

Brown gets the hand off and takes it up the middle for 5 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the DET 38.

Short throw to Thomas over the middle for 7 yards on first down. 

2nd and 7 from the DET 43. 

Young hung in the pocket until it collapsed and tucked it and ran for the first down after a three yard scramble. 

1st and 10 from the 50.

Young showing some agility after the play action bootleg and dipped under the defender a picks up 5 yards on the scramble. 

3rd and 2 from the CAR 48. 

Young is 2/2 over finding Theilen over the middle on the crossing pattern for three yards. 

2nd and 7 from the CAR 42. 

Young drops back to pass on first down and he finds Mingo on the slant pattern from the left side and that goes for 14 yards on the first play of the game. 

1st and 10 from the CAR 39. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM!!!

Carolina get the ball to start the night and here comes Bryce Young. 

NFL

NFL cut day: When is it? How many players make a final roster?

Cutdown Day

It’s the day that every football player has either dreaded or dreamed about depending on what side of the cut list they are on. NFL teams used to have to cut down the roster gradually over the course of the preseason, which was four games long. Now there are just three games, and instead of having cuts after every preseason game, teams get to take up to 90 players to all three games, but will have to trim their roster down to 53 by the 29th of August. Tonight is the last chance for a lot of the guys on the field today. Once the third and fourth quarter roll around, don’t switch off. Guys will be playing for their football lives in what could be their last NFL action ever. 

Detroit’s strong finish

The Lions had a miserable start to the season last year. They went 1-6 and it looked like they were on the verge of another dreadful campaign which would lead to yet another top five draft pick. But the Lions turned things around towards the second half of the season rattling off eight wins in their last ten games. They only lost to the Bills in the final seconds of the game and the Panthers in Week 16 that essentially knocked them out of the playoff picture. Tonight, they get their chance at a little revenge in Carolina. 

Will Young start Week 1?

Bryce Young was the first pick in this year’s NFL draft after a fantastic tenure at the University of Alabama. He’s not the biggest or beefiest QB, but in this day and age it’s much more important for a quarterback to be mobile, shifty and be able to throw on the run. That’s exactly what Bryce Young does, but in the first two preseason games, he hasn’t had much time to show it. First of all he’s only getting a few drives before watching the rest of the game on the sidelines with a clip board. But he has also been under constant pressure from opposing defenses as the offensive line continues to struggle during the preseason. In his first two games, he is 7/12 and has passed for 56 yards. 

Reich prepped for a bumpy season

Franck Reich is in for another complicated season after a tumultuous year in Indianapolis. He got fired before the end of the season, but you can’t put all the blame for the Colts struggles on Reich’s shoulders. They were and still are a franchise that is in desperate need of direction, much like the Panthers are. He has his work cut out for him in Carolina, but he will be hoping that he gets a little more leeway this time around with the Panthers. 

Lions last game 

For the second straight game Jared Goff was watching the game from the sideline. Teddy Bridgewater started the game for the Lions and played three series but Detroit gained just two yards in those first three possessions. The only scoring drive came on the Lions opening drive of the second half when Nate Sudfeld hit Chase Cota on a one yard TD pass to cap a nine play drive. Aside from that the Lions offense was nonexistent, totaling 131 yards and moving the chains just 9 times all game. 

Panthers last game

The Panthers got blanked in their first preseason game against the Jets, and the alarm bells started to sound in Charlotte. It’s been a few years of futility for Carolina, and they are hoping that Frank Reich and Bryce Young are the missing pieces that will turn the franchise around. Young played two series, and went three and out to open the drive but then led a 15 play drive that led to a field goal which were the only points of the half. The Giants scored 21 first half points after Daniel Jones led a perfect opening drive of the game which ended with a touchdown and then sat the rest of the way. Matt Corral played the best of any of the Carolina QB’s going 9/13 for 71 yards, and helped put the Panthers in the end zone for the first time this preseason. Jake Luton finished off the game and despite going 2/7 he had a chance to tie up the game after connecting with Gary Jennings on a 20 yard TD pass but the Panthers turned it over on downs on their final drive to drop their second straight game. 

We are live from Charlotte  

Hello everyone and welcome to Bank of America Stadium where rookie Bryce Young will play his third preseason of his young career. While the attention will be centered around the top pick in this year’s draft, the coaches focus will be trying to find the best players to fill their 53 man roster before Tuesday. The Lions will be reserving their starters for Week 1 as they get one last look at the players down the roster looking to make the final cut.

Lions vs. Panthers live 

It’s the last NFL Friday of the season, and tonight we will get a final look at Bryce Young before the regular season starts as the Carolina Panthers host the Detroit Lions from Bank of America Stadium. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, scores and highlights from Charlotte.