CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With the Bank of America Stadium crowd chanting "MVP! MVP!" at his quarterback, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan said he stayed zoned into the action on the field during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 32-26 win over Detroit Lions.
While Bryce Young was electric in primetime, McMillan was dominant, catching 14 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
"Everything just clicked tonight," McMillan said.
McMillan accounted for 43.1% of the Panthers' net offense against the Lions. He also fell just one catch and nine receiving yards short of tying two longtime franchise records, as Young threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns and led the offense on six scoring drives against Detroit.
McMillan, with Jalen Coker (quad) sidelined and Xavier Legette (knee) on injured reserve, was at his best. He dwarfed career-high numbers across the board. He had 16 targets, four more than his previous best. His previous top reception (8) and receiving yards (130) marks were bested as well.
"We knew that he was going to be an issue, especially since Coker got hurt," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "That would be a guy they would probably try to get the ball to, and really a lot of those were those RPOs [run-pass option plays] early in the game and those quick strikes right up the hash and right off the seam."
"He was balling today, and that was something super fun to see," tight end Tommy Tremble said. "He was able to show who he was today, and I think that's awesome because that's the type of player he is, that's the caliber of player. And to show it on 'Sunday Night Football,' there's nothing better. So, I'm really, really happy for him."
The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was in rhythm with Young, who now has a franchise-record nine passing touchdowns through four games. Their chemistry was unimpacted by what coach Dave Canales said was "not a great week of practice" between Young and McMillan.
"There were some misses, they had to work through some stuff [in practice] -- they had to talk through it," Canales said. "I've been part of this before where you don't make a judgement on what's going to happen on Sunday as the guys continue to work and find that. And then for it to show up like that tonight was beautiful."
"I trust [McMillan] so much," Young said. "We have so many banked reps from these two years -- offseason, OTAs, all that stuff. ... I know the player he is. He's special. I always trust him."
Following the historic performance, McMillan said he felt the trust of Young and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik throughout the game. Young and Idzik have led 22 scoring drives through the first four games -- the most for the franchise since 2000 -- and McMillan put an exclamation point on two of them against the Lions.
McMillan said Idzik's humility and collaborative nature benefit the offense.
"Really, he just does a good job as far as putting everybody in the right positions," McMillan said. "He gives a chance to everybody across the board. He gives everybody a chance and an opportunity at the ball. And he's good at communicating throughout the week. Just to see what everybody is feeling, see what we like, what Bryce likes. He likes to communicate in that way as far as getting our opinions. He's humble in that way as far as just asking everybody for their opinions."
Against the Lions, McMillan became the second Panthers player ever to produce 175 or more receiving yards and two touchdowns in a game. Steve Smith Sr. collected 178 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 of the 2011 season against the Arizona Cardinals. That's pretty good company to keep, especially as McMillan looks to follow up his strong rookie season.
Thanks to his performance Sunday, he's on pace to shatter the 70-catch, 1,014-yard performance from last season. It was that kind of night for the Panthers' offense and the team's top receiver.