Panthers vs. Lions: 6 Things We Learned from Detroit's 49-35 Win over Carolina

Well, that's not how you draw it up, but in Week 11 in the NFL, you'll take the wins however they come.

So once again the Detroit Lions erase a double-digit deficit in the second half and, once again, they look like a team capable of rolling.

This game was exactly what it was supposed to be. The Carolina Panthers were a beatable team that would absolutely not go away without a fight.

This is, after all, the team the Packers could only sneak away beating by seven.

For the first 20 minutes the Panthers looked like a team poised to pick up where the Chicago Bears left off last week, beating the Lions down with turnovers and opportunistic scoring.

But then the Lions made adjustments. They locked down the running game, revved up their own and played tight, disciplined football for the rest of the game.

Put simply, the Lions played as close to perfect football in the second half of this game as they have all season. If they can play like that for the next four quarters, they might just have a chance on Thanksgiving.

But let's not look ahead already. What can the Lions take from this win over Carolina?

The Lions' Newest Square Peg Is Its Own

Who knew?

The Lions drafted Jahvid Best, Mikel Leshoure, had a trade for Ronnie Brown voided and finally were forced to resort to the bottom of the barrel to address their running back problems.

For a team that has become known for taking spare parts and "square pegs" from other teams, who would have thought the Lions would pick up their next square peg from their own cut list?

But they did, picking Smith up from the unemployment line during the bye week. And after getting limited (but strong) action against Chicago, Kevin Smith got the feature role against Carolina and responded with the best game of his career.

Smith had a Matt Forte-like day, accounting for more than 200 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.

I didn't necessarily disagree with the Lions' decision to part with Smith in the offseason, and some of you gave me grief for it.

Well, consider this my retraction. Smith is getting one last shot, and so far, he's running away with it.

The Lions Are Still a Second-Half Team

If the Bears game taught us anything, it's that the Lions can't afford to fall behind early week after week and expect to come back and win.

If the Panthers game taught us anything, it's that they still can.

The Lions have created a bad habit of playing catchup in the second half, and it's a habit they'll have to get out of if they want to hang with elite teams. But they've made the second-half comeback into a science, so it's impossible to count them out.

After digging yet another hole in the first half, the Lions came to play in the second, outscoring the Panthers 35-8 and forcing three turnovers.

The Lions playing the role of Comeback Cats isn't creating a recipe for long-term success, but those comebacks are the difference between the Lions being 7-3 and 4-6.

Matthew Stafford's Struggles (or Lack Thereof) Are Not Injury-Related

I said this last week and now everyone knows why.

Matthew Stafford struggled last week, which was blamed on everything from his finger to the wind to pressure to the running game.

It seems a lot of people were content to put the bulk of the concern on Stafford's fractured finger.

That's all well and good, except that most of Stafford's struggles in Chicago and early in this game were a result of pressing and making bad decisions—not bad throws.

Stafford has a huge arm, and he knows it. He therefore has a tendency to try making throws he doesn't need to make. That started again this week when he tried to force a ball in triple coverage to Calvin Johnson when they had no need for a big play.

Stafford paid for it, as the ball was tipped and intercepted in the end zone.

But then something amazing happened.

As FOX started showing graphics about how Stafford had thrown more picks in five quarters than he had in the previous eight games, Stafford came out and started making good decisions.

He made smart reads, he hit open receivers and he took what the defense was giving him. You can't tell me his finger just started feeling better during the game.

Stafford stopped trying to force every ball to No. 81, and you know what happened? No more interceptions and no more errant passes—five touchdown passes, five different receivers.

And not one of them named Calvin—which brings me to my next point.

Hey! The Lions Have Wide Receivers!

The Detroit Lions are not terribly well-known for spreading the ball around. For a long while, the offense looked like a playbook of two plays: run the ball for no gain, throw it up to Calvin.

In this game?

Seven Detroit Lions came down with at least two receptions, and four of them were actual wide receivers. Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Titus Young and even Rashied Davis had their moments in the sun this game.

And, best of all, Stafford spread the love around in the end zone. Of the wideouts, only Young and Burleson came down with scores, but running back Kevin Smith and tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler got into the act as well.

This is the kind of offense the Lions had envisioned at the beginning of the year: loaded down with weapons to the point that somebody is always open and dangerous.

Special Teams: Not Great, Even Against Non-Hester Opponents

Okay, so the Lions get gashed by Devin Hester. That's less an issue with the coverage units as it is an issue with don't kick to Devin Hester EVER.

But then the Lions give up a 101-yard touchdown return to Kealoha Pilares and—what?

Who is Kealoha Pilares, and why isn't anyone tackling him?

The Lions' special teams haven't been fantastic all year, but they look like they're getting worse.

That's disturbing considering how many people are on this team for the sole purpose of playing special teams (reminder: John Wendling is on a three-year contract).

We're not at "Fire Danny Crossman!" territory yet, but his seat certainly ought to be feeling a certain amount of heat. This is a problem the Lions need fixed—and fast.

The Lions Are as Ready for the Pack as They'll Ever Be

The Green Bay Packers are scary. Teams that go 10-0 off a Super Bowl victory tend to give off that vibe.

The Lions will play the Packers on Thanksgiving, and they will, in all honesty, probably lose.

But I couldn't have pointed at the calendar and picked a more opportune time for the Lions to play them. This is the perfect time in the Lions' season for the toughest test they'll have all year (until they play the Packers again).

The Lions have been punched in the mouth, and they've gone through some growing pains. They started fast, but have had to deal with injuries.

And now they have just the right kind of momentum. They've seen their wrinkles, recognized and addressed their weaknesses, and appear to have an idea of how to put everything together.

The Lions keep talking about how they haven't played their best game yet and how they can still improve.—which is good, because to have a chance against the Packers, the Lions are going to pull out that "best game."

Against the Panthers, the Lions look to have figured out how to run, how to stop the run, what's wrong with Matthew Stafford and how to get everybody involved in the offense.

Will this carry over to Thanksgiving? Maybe, maybe not. But if it doesn't now, it never would have anyway.