Sitting at 2-1 on the season with two way-too-close wins over the Saints and Jets, the Detroit Lions are facing a sneaky-tough test in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers.
The Lions are going to be center stage on Sunday night in Carolina, and they’re going to need a few players to step up if they’re going to win and improve to 3-1. Obviously, we’ll go with guys who aren’t bona fide stars like Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Aidan Hutchinson, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but those guys obviously need to play well, too.
Which three Lions need to step up on Sunday night if the Lions plan on improving to 3-1?
Ennis Rakestraw
Ennis Rakestraw had himself a day against the New York Jets, allowing just one catch for six yards. He needs a repeat effort of that, and he’s going to have to establish himself in the secondary if Detroit is going to be able to hold off a plus passing offense led by Bryce Young and Tetairoa McMillan. He’s coming off the best game of his young career, but can he build on it?
Rakestraw was drafted in the second round in 2024 for a reason, and if it weren’t for injuries, he probably would’ve been a first-rounder. He needs to consistently play like it.
He’ll get another opportunity against the Panthers and he needs to make the most of it.
Jameson Williams
Jameson Williams hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations that were placed on him after a couple of 1,000-yard seasons in a row over three weeks. He’s caught just 10 total passes for 127 yards, and he has yet to score a touchdown, but that desperately needs to change.
Getting no more than 2-4 catches from a WR2 on a Super Bowl contender is not going to cut it, and the Panthers should be able to score some points, so the Lions need him in order to keep pace.
It’s time for Williams to finally have his first breakout game of 2026.
Isaac TeSlaa
Is it lame to choose two receivers that need to step up? Probably, but that just shows how important the corps will be against the Panthers. Carolina has the fifth-best passing defense in the league through three weeks, and it’ll be up to Jared Goff and his thin group of pass-catchers to figure it out and put up some numbers against a stingy defense.
Isaac TeSlaa has received constant criticism over the past few weeks for how ghostly he has been as the Lions’ WR3. While he has been heating up a little lately with five catches for 92 yards against the Bills and Jets combined, he still needs to prove that he’s consistent and that these improved numbers aren’t an outlier.
The Lions’ offense is going to need another three-plus catches for 50-plus yards against the Panthers out of TeSlaa if they’re going to win on the road.
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