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Nate Freese (right) missed both of his field goal attempts in the Detroit Lions' loss to the Carolina Panthers.

(Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jim Caldwell wasn't ready to make a snap decision on kicker Nate Freese's future following the Detroit Lions' 24-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers, but the coach kept the door in regards to making a change at the spot.

Freese, a rookie out of Boston College, missed two field goals, both from 49 yards, and has missed three of his five attempts this season.

"We won't make any rash decisions, right now, five minutes after the game, 10 minutes after the game," Caldwell said. "We want to take a look at all of our options and see where we'd like to go from here."

Even though the team wasn't ready to make an immediate decision on Freese's status, Caldwell made it clear the Lions expect much better results from the kicking game.

"One of the things that we have as a goal is to make 100 percent of our kicks," Caldwell said. "Obviously, every once in a while, you have a long kick that's an extenuating circumstance. I think that's an area we have to be able to count on."

Following the game, many players expressed frustration with the missed field goals, but there were enough blown opportunities in other areas that the criticism didn't fall squarely on the kicker.

"It's tough," wide receiver Calvin Johnson said. "We want points in that situation, but like I said, we just got to get back on the practice field and work on those things."

Freese is coming off an inconsistent training camp and preseason where he barely edged out Giorgio Tavecchio for the job.

If the Lions decide to go a different direction, there are plenty of veterans available on the market, including Jay Feeley, Alex Henery and Rob Bironas.

Detroit Lions vs Carolina Panthers at Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina 45 Gallery: Detroit Lions vs Carolina Panthers at Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina

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