In a Christmas Eve special on Saturday, the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions square off at Bank of America Stadium, with the playoffs still a possibility for each.
The Panthers are currently a game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a record of 5-9 in the NFC South, while the Lions are among the hottest teams in the league, losing just once in their last seven contests and one victory behind the Washington Commanders for a playoff berth.
Match preview
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Typically, when teams have just five wins at this stage of the regular season, the conversation centres around what needs to be addressed next year, but that is not the case in Carolina.
Should they emerge victorious this weekend, the Panthers would have more wins this season than in any of their previous three campaigns, and more importantly, it would keep their playoff hopes alive and potentially move them into first place in the NFC South, depending on how the Bucs fare.
Win and you are in is the most straightforward playoff equation for Steve Wilks' team, and should they be able to do that, they would be the first team since the Washington Commanders in 2020 to make the postseason despite having a losing record.
If this team can run the ball efficiently on offence, they tend to be on the right side of the scoreline, winning three straight games when managing over 100 yards rushing, scoring over 20 points each time in those victories over the Atlanta Falcons (25-15), Denver Broncos (23-10) and Seattle Seahawks (30-24).
They have gone through three different quarterbacks this season, and neither have been particularly consistent through the air, with the Panthers ranked 30th in passing, throwing for under 200 yards in five of their last six games.
Lately, they have thrived off quick starts, winning three straight games when outscoring their opponents in the opening quarter, though Carolina have also lost their last three encounters in which they trailed after 15 minutes.
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Beginning the year with a 1-7 record, many had written off the Lions, but since November, they have proved all those naysayers wrong.
Their seven victories in 2022 are more than this franchise have accumulated in a single campaign since 2017, which was also the last time they ended a season with a winning record, going 9-7 under Jim Caldwell.
Dan Campbell has assembled one of the best offensive units in the NFL, ranked fourth in the league, averaging 375.1 yards per game.
They have won their last three road outings thanks to a balanced attack, posting over 300 yards offensively each time and scoring more than 30 points in two of those encounters.
Detroit's offence has been under enormous pressure to put points on the board with virtually every possession because they cannot seem to slow down their opponents, as their 31st-ranked defence have conceded multiple touchdown passes in eight games this season.
Defensively speaking, they have managed to overcome those deficiencies by winning the turnover battles in each of their last three encounters, while they have not tossed an interception since beating the Green Bay Packers 15-9 in early November.
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Team News
Panthers QB Sam Darnold has thrown a touchdown pass in his last three games without an interception, with DJ Moore scoring their only TD in a 24-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week in a game where Chuba Hubbard struggled running the ball, with a 2.5-yard average.
Frankie Luvu had their only sack a week ago, his second in as many games, Jeremy Chinn led them in tackles with 11, while Keith Taylor and Shaq Thompson combined for 13.
CJ Henderson and Myles Hartsfield could be game-time decisions with ankle sprains, Jaycee Horn was limited at practice this week due to a sore shoulder and Joel Iyiegbuniwe will be questionable because of a hamstring injury.
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff has thrown for multiple scores in three of his last four games, finding Brock Wright for a touchdown against the Jets, while Amon-Ra St. Brown has been their leading receiver over the past eight weeks, Kalif Raymond had five grabs against the New York Jets and also ran back a punt for a touchdown, while D'Andre Swift averaged over five yards per carry in that encounter.
A week after picking up a sack in a victory over the Vikings, Jerry Jacobs had an interception last Sunday, DeShon Elliott led them in tackles with five, Aidan Hutchinson failed to register a sack for the first time in three games, while Kerby Joseph and Jeff Okudah combined for eight tackles in the Meadowlands.
Taylor Decker is dealing with a sore elbow, Derrick Barnes could miss this encounter due to a problem in his knee, Frank Ragnow did not practice this week due to a sprained foot and Jason Cabinda has an ankle injury.
Head To Head
Historically, Carolina have owned Detroit overall with a 7-3 record, shutting out the Lions in their previous encounter in 2020.
On that occasion, Mike David ran for a one-yard score, Curtis Samuel caught a 17-yard TD pass from Phillip Walker and Joey Slye kicked two field goals as the Panthers triumphed 20-0.
The previous contest between the two in 2018 went Detroit's way as Kerryon Johnson ran for a TD in the opening quarter, and Matthew Stafford hit Kenny Golladay for a fourth-quarter score as the Lions came away with a 20-19 victory.
Detroit have only captured one road outing versus the Panthers and it came at the old Ericsson Stadium in 1999 when Charlie Batch found David Sloan and Brian Stadlein for third quarter touchdowns, helping the Lions win 24-9.
We say: Carolina Panthers 24-34 Detroit Lions
Neither team have made many mistakes offensively of late, but the Lions' ability to create turnovers and their efficiency in the red zone should give them another victory on Saturday despite possessing a shaky defensive unit.
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