'Everything just clicked' with McMillan, Young in Panthers' primetime win — SkimNews
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- Tetairoa McMillan caught 14 passes for 192 yards and two TDs in the Panthers' 32-26 Sunday Night Football win over the Lions, accounting for 43.1% of Carolina's net offense and falling just one catch and nine yards shy of two franchise records.
- Bryce Young threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns while leading six scoring drives, pushing his season total to a franchise-record nine passing touchdowns through four games.
- McMillan became only the second player in Panthers history to post 175-plus receiving yards and two touchdowns in a single game, joining Steve Smith Sr., who did it against Arizona in Week 1 of 2011.
- OC Brad Idzik and Young have orchestrated 22 scoring drives through four games — the most by the franchise since 2000, per the article.
- Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game that Carolina would try to get McMillan the ball with Jalen Coker (quad) sidelined and Xavier Legette (knee) on injured reserve, noting many completions came on RPOs and quick strikes.
- Coach Dave Canales said it was "not a great week of practice" between Young and McMillan, but that "for it to show up like that tonight was beautiful," crediting the duo for working through pre-game misses.
- McMillan is now on pace to top last year's 70-catch, 1,014-yard rookie season after dwarfing his previous career highs of eight receptions and 130 yards.
Why it matters: With Carolina's second- and third-best receivers sidelined, McMillan absorbed the target share and delivered franchise-record-level production, while Young's nine passing TDs and the offense's 22 scoring drives through four games — the most since 2000 — suggest Carolina's passing game has stabilized into a weekly threat rather than a flash.
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