Let’s face it.
The Carolina Panthers (6-4) should have slapped around the Lions (4-6) on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field, especially in light of the tire fires Detroit has been frantically trying to put out left and right for the last few weeks.
But instead, Carolina gave Detroit a 20-19 gift. And they wrapped it in many different boxes. In every phase of the game, the Panthers erred.
The Panthers’ No. 1 receiver dropped five passes. Their usually accurate kicker missed a field goal and an extra point in a dome. Their No. 1 cornerback erred twice on one scoring drive.