Sunday, September 14, 2014

Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte

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Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be the home to a remarkable game in week 2 of the National Football League regular season. The Detroit Lions, who are coming off a huge Monday night performance against the New York Giants where they won 35-14, will travel to North Carolina, to take on the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers won their season-opener 20-14 against their division rivals from Tampa Bay.

The Lions saw quarterback Matthew Stafford excel in their season opener, shredding the New York defense for 346 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was sacked 1 time, but was able to finish the game with a 125.3 QB rating. Stafford needed to be as good as he was in the passing game because the rushing attack left a lot to the imagination. Joique Bell led the team in yards with 51 on 15 carries and Reggie Bush added just 15 yards on 9 touches. When it comes to wide receiver, the Lions have the best there is in Calvin Johnson. He made 7 catches for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns, including 3 catches of more than 30 yards. Golden Tate and Reggie Bush each added 6 catches in 6 targets for 93 and 49 yards respectively.

The Panthers pulled out the close victory against the Buccaneers in large part due to the play of Derek Anderson. Anderson filled in for their superstar quarterback, Cam Newton. Newton will start the home opener for the Panthers this week and will get to throw to rookie Kelvim Benjamin for the first time. The rookie from Florida State led the team with 92 yards on 6 catches, while Greg Olsen added 83 yards on 8 grabs. DeAngelo Williams had a solid day running the football, totaling for 72 yards on 14 carries.

Detroit Lions Betting Trends

Detroit Lions are 1-0 straight up

Detroit Lions are 1 against the spread

Carolina Panthers Betting Trends

Carolina Panthers are 1-0 straight up

Carolina Panthers are 1 against the spread

Injuries to Watch

Detroit Lions

09/10/14 CB Bill Bentley ACL out for season
09/10/14 OT Corey Hilliard Foot out indefinitely
09/08/14 S Don Carey Hamstring questionable Sunday vs. Carolina
09/04/14 LB Kyle Van Noy Abdominal out indefinitely
09/04/14 WR T.J. Jones Shoulder PUP

Carolina Panthers

09/07/14 QB Cam Newton Ribs is upgraded to probable Sunday vs. Detroit
09/04/14 DE Frank Alexander Suspension expected to miss weeks 1-4 of regular season
09/04/14 OG Edmund Kugbila Back IR

Tony's Pick: Take Carolina

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