Lions defense continues historically poor performance following road loss at Carolina

The Detroit Lions defense has been putting up historically bad numbers through the first quarter of the 2026 season, and it didn’t get any better during Sunday night’s road loss to the Carolina Panthers.

The Lions were picked apart defensively by Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, while the offense settled for too many field goals after having multiple touchdown opportunities deep in Carolina territory.

Both teams head into Week Five at 2-2 on the season.

The Lions remain on the road this coming weekend before the Bye Week hits as they head out west to Phoenix for a 4:25 pm kickoff on Sunday against the 1-3 Arizona Cardinals.