The Detroit Lions might have just caught a huge break ahead of their Week 4 road game against the Carolina Panthers, with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reporting that cornerback Jaycee Horn suffered a torn quad in Week 3. Per Rapoport, Horn is out indefinitely, and could be headed for the IR.
Carolina, in much thanks to Horn, has been one of the better pass defending teams in the NFL through the first three games of the season. Teams are scared to throw at him and linebackers Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke, but without him, the workload for those other two defenders is about to double.
They've only allowed 172.3 net passing yards per game, good for 6th-lowest in the league through three weeks.
That's big news for the Lions, who are looking to get their passing game going as much as their ground game. With Horn out, we should expect to see the team looking to force feed Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams early on in this contest.
Panthers' weakness against the run could get worse with Horn news
With Horn out, the Lions now have two areas of Carolina's defense to exploit: their secondary, and their run defense. They are one of the worst teams in the NFL at defending the run, currently allowing an average of 5.7 rush yards per attempt and 193.3 rushing yards per game. That's basically Jahmyr Gibbs' workload with a sprinkle of some help from Sione Vaki.
READ MORE: Jahmyr Gibbs channels Barry Sanders with a highlight reel performance vs. Jets
This should help the Lions to get going even earlier against Carolina in Week 4, as they've struggled as of late to get their scoring going until after their first few drives. Delivering some early blows could make this an easy primetime viewing experience for fans, and an easy road win for the Lions to secure amid a very competitive NFC North race.
Jameson Williams could continue feasting amid Horn news
Williams is coming off a 49 receiving yard game against the New York Jets, and more importantly, he's coming off a game where he was a perfect 4-4 on his targets and receptions. Drops were not a problem in this game, and Horn's absence can help Williams continue to get into a groove on that front.
Horn, an outside corner, would've likely gotten the assignment on Williams, with some schemes likely planting him on Amon-Ra St. Brown, as well. With him out, as well as the Panthers also potentially missing starting cornerback Mike Jackson in Week 4, Williams can really begin to build another 1,000 receiving yard season.
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