Detroit Lions vs Carolina Panthers Prediction, 10/4/2026 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 4

Game: Detroit Lions vs Carolina Panthers

Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026

Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC

TV: NBC

Odds-Point Spread: Lions -3.5

Total-Over-Under: 50

The Carolina Panthers (1-2) will play the Detroit Lions (2-1) at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. Detroit opens as 3.5-point favorites from oddsmakers. The total has been set at 50.

The Detroit Lions head into this game 2-1 over the course of this season. In their last contest, the Lions faced the New York Jets and took home the win by a score of 31-24. Jahmyr Gibbs was the leader on the ground for the Lions with 20 carries for 99 yards (5.0 yds per carry). Isaac TeSlaa had an average of 22.0 yds per catch by totaling 66 yds on 3 receptions. Jared Goff went 25-32 with 269 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. He had a quarterback rate of 122.5 and walked away from the game with no interceptions. Against the rush, the Lions gave up 58 yds on 19 tries, which averages out to 3.1 yards per run allowed. Detroit conceded 31 pass completions on 37 tries for 277 yards, and a completion rate of 83.8%. Once the final whistle blew, they tallied 62 plays which gave them 381 yards. The Detroit Lions ran the football 30 times and totaled 131 yards, earning them an average of 4.4 yds per attempt.

In terms of putting points on the board, the NFC members hold an average of 31.0 PPG. As a team, they are sitting at 120.7 rush yds which has them sitting 9th in football. The Lions have compiled 1,105 total yards for this campaign. Detroit has tallied 43 first downs as a team, and they have been flagged for 22 penalties for 160 yds. They have turned the ball over 1 time. If you look at notching touchdowns, Detroit has produced 8 passing TD's and 4 touchdowns on the ground.

In terms of passing yds, the Lions have surrendered 898 yards, which has them sitting 32nd in football. They have relinquished 299.3 yds per contest through the air, and are giving up a completion rate of 69.4%. In total, they have granted 352 yards via the ground game in 3 games on the season. They have yielded 9 touchdowns via the pass, as well as 4 touchdowns to runners. Altogether, they are relinquishing 416.7 total yards per contest, ranking this team at 31st in professional football. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.4 yards per rush on the ground and 117.3 rushing yards per outing so far this season. The Lions rank 32nd in pro football if you analyze their defensive prowess, conceding 31.7 points per game.

Get all of our NFL Picks

The Panthers come into this matchup holding a record of 1-2 so far this season. When they last took the field, the Panthers took a loss by a final score of 21-18 against the Cleveland Browns. Bryce Young (1 TD) ended the game with 291 yds on 26-48 passing while his QB rating was 70.7. He threw 1 interception and his avg yards per attempt was 6.1 yards. Chuba Hubbard ran the ball 19 times for 82 yards, ending the contest with 4.3 yards per carry for Carolina. Brycen Tremayne was a featured target for the Panthers, grabbing 4 passes for 83 yards (20.8 yards per catch). Carolina ran the football for 4.3 yards per attempt, finishing the contest with 98 yds on 23 carries. The Panthers finished the contest with a total of 360 yds while running 71 plays (5.1 yards per play). The Panthers secondary allowed a completion percentage of 54.8%, relinquishing 127 yards on 17 out of 31 passing. Carolina conceded 30 running attempts for 132 yards (4.4 yards per rush).

With reference to their scoring prowess, the Panthers rank 5th in pro football, by scoring 29.7 points per game. So far this year, the Panthers have thrown for a total of 887 passing yards and average 295.7 passing yards per game, ranking this team at 1st in pro football. They average 97.0 running yds per contest, and have run for 291 yds. The Carolina Panthers average 392.7 yds per contest, putting them 7th in the league. The Carolina offense has relinquished 210 total yards by way of 27 penalties, ranking this team at 3rd in professional football when you look at helping out the other team. They have recorded 2 INTs while giving up 2 lost fumbles, and have tallied 46 1st downs as a team.

The Panthers are yielding 27.7 points per outing, which ranks 27th in pro football. They have surrendered 4 touchdowns through the air along with 172.3 pass yds per contest, ranking this team at 5th in professional football. Carolina has yielded a total of 580 rushing yards (193.3 total yards per game), plus 6 touchdowns via the rush so far this season. The Panthers defense has taken the field for 200 plays, putting them 29th in professional football. Their defense has attained 7 takeaways (4 fumbles forced and 3 INTs) on the season. On the whole, they have granted 83 points.

Who will win tonight's Lions-Panthers NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Lions -3.5

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get NFL picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.