After Green Bay defeated No. 2 seed Dallas earlier Sunday and Detroit had a strong showing with a 24-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit will advance to the regional round next week against the Tampa Bay/Philadelphia winner at 3 p.m. A match will be held. at Ford Field.
Detroit’s offense, led by quarterback Jared Goff, started the game off with a bang and delivered the crowning glory at the end. This is a big reason why the Lions are making it to the regional round of the playoffs for the first time since 1991.
Detroit scored touchdowns on his first three possessions of the game (all on his 75-yard drives), and in the second quarter he built a 21-10 lead. Goff completed 14 of 15 passes for 161 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sam LaPorta. David Montgomery (1 yard) and Jahmil Gibbs (10 yards) also found the end zone for Detroit. Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ offense got off to a hot start as well, scoring on the first three possessions of the game, with Stafford’s two touchdowns (50 and 38) and 24 yards fielding. The goal was scored by Brett Maher.
At halftime, Detroit led 21-17.
After the Lions defense forced the Rams’ first punt of the night on their first possession of the second half, Lions kicker Michael Badgley made a 54-yard field goal to extend the Lions’ lead to 24-17. . Maher returned with a 27-yard run to make it 24:20.
QB Comparison: Goff finished the game completing 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions, and a passer rating of 121.8.
Stafford completed 25 of 36 passes for 367 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 120.9 rating.
Big Play: The Lions held a 24-23 lead with 4:20 left in the game, but the Rams faced 3rd & 14 at the Detroit 44-yard line. As was common in the second half, Detroit’s defense stepped up when cornerback Cam Sutton intercepted a pass from Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua. This forced the Rams to punt and Los Angeles was unable to get the ball back.
Key Stats: Detroit’s defense stepped up, forcing three Rams field goals on drives that ended at Detroit’s 6-, 9-, and 11-yard lines. The Rams gained 425 total yards, but Detroit stopped them in the red zone when they needed it most. The Rams finished 0-3 in the red zone, while the Lions finished 3-3.
Next week: Sunday, January 21st, 3pm, Tampa Bay takes on the winner of Philadelphia.