“They Got A Big 3” Shannon Sharpe Praises Carolina

“I think this is more about what the Panthers did, as opposed to what the Lions didn’t do,” Shannon Sharpe said.

Speaking on Nightcap after Carolina’s 32–26 win over Detroit on Sunday Night Football, Sharpe praised the combination of Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan and Chuba Hubbard.

“They got a big three with Chuba Hubbard, with Tetairoa McMillan and Bryce Young. They can do it all. They can run the football, they can throw the football,” he said.

Young threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, both to McMillan, who finished with 14 catches for 192 yards. Hubbard added 122 rushing yards. Carolina won despite receiver Jalen Coker being inactive with a quadriceps injury.

“But what I liked about what I saw from the Carolina Panthers tonight is that guys stepped up in the absence of other guys,” Sharpe said.

The discussion turned to Detroit’s defense, which allowed at least 30 points for the third time in four games. The Lions finished with 452 yards of offense in the loss.

Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson pointed to missing defenders while discussing Detroit’s reliance on man-to-man coverage. Sharpe questioned whether the Lions could continue with the same approach.

“At some point in time, Dan Campbell’s gonna have to say, ‘Guys, look, we’re gonna have to play a different style of defense,’” Sharpe said.

Johnson agreed that Detroit needed defensive improvement but questioned how readily a team would abandon its usual approach.

“They are who they are, and I’ve really never seen a defensive coordinator or a team in general go away from what they do best or what they know works for them, even when it’s not working,” Johnson said.

This report is based on two supplied audio excerpts from Nightcap’s discussion of the October 4 Panthers–Lions game, rather than the full program.