DETROIT, Mich. — A late field goal gave the Detroit Lions a 10-7 lead over the Carolina Panthers at halftime of their NFL battle between two teams going in opposite directions at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon.
Detroit brought a 3-6 record into the contest while Carolina came in at 6-3.
The Panthers entered the fray as 4 1/2-point favorites.
Carolina received the opening kickoff, marched 90 yards downfield and jumped out to a 7-0 advantage on Cam Newton’s 1-yard scoring pass to tight end Greg Olsen, who was wide open in the end zone with 9:27 showing on the clock.
The Lions came right back with an 8-yard scoring run by Kerryon Johnson to knot the count at 7-all with 2:36 left in the opener, a deadlock that stood until the initial break.
Detroit took a 10-7 lead at intermission on Matt Prater’s 54-yard field goal with just 37 seconds to go.
The Lions are in the middle of a three-game homestand. Next up for Detroit will be a Thanksgiving Day home date at Ford Field against the Chicago Bears with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Panthers will move on to hosting the Seattle Seahawks at Bank of America Stadium next Sunday afternoon.
