Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan’s first Sunday night game was one to remember.
Everyone knew that the Panthers would be looking McMillan’s way often as they were missing two other wideouts for their game against the Lions, but that didn’t stop McMillan from posting 14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns in Carolina’s 32-26 win. While those numbers were just short of franchise records, they were personal bests from the 2025 offensive rookie of the year.
After the game, McMillan searched for reasons to explain why he, quarterback Bryce Young and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik were in such a groove.
“I mean, who knows, maybe just the atmosphere, the prime time moments,” McMillan said, via the team’s website. “Everything just clicked tonight. And obviously Coach [Dave] Canales just harped on it earlier, just, there’s some plays throughout the week that we may not have hit on, but shoot, Brad called it tonight, and Bryce trusted it, and he made good throws, and we converted, so I can’t tell you what happened tonight. Maybe it’s just the Charlotte air.”
Young said he always trusts McMillan to make a play and Sunday night showed that the two players have found the kind of chemistry that can make for a long, fruitful partnership as the centerpieces of the Panthers offense.