Worth the wait: Lions hold on for first playoff win since 1991
Justin Rogers
Detroit — No matter how much it might have been expected, hearing the Ford Field crowd boo him had to sting former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford a little. But the Detroit Lions not allowing their former quarterback the opportunity to do what he does best — lead a winning drive in the closing minutes — broke his heart and ended the Los Angeles Rams' season.
On Sunday night, it was the Lions delivering the dagger. After a first-half shootout transitioned into a defensive struggle in the final two quarters, the Lions managed to successfully cling to their one-point lead by killing the remaining four minutes off the clock to escape with a 24-23 victory, securing the franchise's first playoff victory in 32 years.
BOX SCORE:Lions 24, Rams 23
And the man wielding the dagger, driving it into the heart of the Rams, was the quarterback they traded to the Lions in 2021, Jared Goff. He completed a first-down pass to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, allowing him to take three knees for a crowd that showered the current Lions quarterback with adoration all through the night.
“Yeah, it was pretty unbelievable," Goff said. "The people here are special, man. ... I’m grateful for their support, and today, with the circumstances that were there, it meant a lot and it was special.”
The Lions now advance to the divisional round, where they'll host the winner of Monday night's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That game will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at Ford Field.
The first half showcased the firepower of the two offenses, with the Lions getting the fireworks underway by taking the opening kickoff 75 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. Quarterback Jared Goff was sharp, connecting on all five of his passes, including a 24-yarder to Josh Reynolds, while tailback David Montgomery put the finishing touches on the drive with a 1-yard touchdown, running behind right tackle Penei Sewell.
Detroit's defense nearly kept the hot start going with a three-and-out, but defensive back Brian Branch was flagged for pass interference on third down, extending Los Angeles' first possession. They continued to chip away following the infraction, earning a fresh set of downs at the 6-yard line before Detroit clamped down. Branch made up for the penalty, coming on a blitz and batting Stafford's pass. That deflection was nearly intercepted and left the Rams to settle for a short field goal.
Field goals were of no interest to the Lions, who needed just five plays to get back into the end zone. A roughing-the-passer hit on Goff, followed by another explosive gain to Reynolds — this time a 33-yard hookup — fueled the drive. And they again finished it on the ground, as Jahmyr Gibbs took a shotgun handoff, hesitated while Goff executed a fake, then ran up the gut between lane-clearing blocks by left tackle Taylor Decker and guard Jonah Jackson for the 10-yard score.
"(We proved) we can answer the bell in big-time games," Decker said. "I’m telling the guys before the game, the moment that we’ve been waiting for is here. We’ve been putting in the work, blood, sweat, tears, pain, and now it’s here."
This time, the Rams had an equitable answer, getting home with their own quick-strike touchdown. The Lions defense had them in trouble twice on the six-play series, but allowed a conversion on third-and-16, before Stafford found star rookie Puka Nacua for a 50-yard touchdown when cornerback Cam Sutton bit on a double-move.
“He’s a freaking stud," Rams coach Sean McVay said of Nacua. "He’s just a great competitor. He shows up big, makes plays, he’s tough to tackle, he can work edges and win and separate, he can finish. This guy’s a freaking warrior and he is a stud. I love the mind-set and mentality that he has and if he just continues to stay humble and keep working, this guy is going to be a problem for a long time."
Despite that gut punch, the Lions managed to keep the pressure on with a third touchdown in as many possessions. Amon-Ra St. Brown's third-down conversion early in the series allowed the offense to work into the red zone. Then, on fourth-and-1, Goff found rookie tight end Sam LaPorta for a 2-yard score in the back of the end zone to extend the Lions' lead to 21-10 following the extra point.
The Rams managed to get back within a single score before the half, taking advantage of two more defensive lapses. The first came on fourth-and-5 near midfield, when the secondary had a communication breakdown and was late picking up Cooper Kupp out of motion, leading to a converting catch. And on the next snap, receiver Tutu Atwell crossed up cornerback Kindle Vildor, who whiffed on a diving attempt to break up the throw, resulting in a 38-yard touchdown for the speedy receiver.
The half ended with some controversy. As the Lions were threatening to go for it on fourth-down just across midfield in the closing minutes, it appeared they got the Rams to jump, only for the officiating crew to penalize Decker for a false start. That led to Detroit's first punt.
The frantic pace slowed in the third quarter. Starting with the ball, the Rams gained a single first down before they were forced into their first punt.
The Lions looked as if they would resume their touchdown-scoring ways, quickly moving across midfield, but after losing yardage on back-to-back plays, were left to try a long field goal. Kicker Michael Badgley rewarded the team's trust, easily knocking home the 54-yard boot, to extend the Lions' lead back to a touchdown, 24-17.
The 54-yard field goal was the longest make for the Lions since the 2020 season.
The Rams were able to respond with a field goal of their own, a 27-yarder by Brett Maher, after they came up short on a third-and-12 pass play when Stafford took a massive shot to the ribs and left the field in considerable pain.
Detroit proved unable to counter, gaining a single first down before punting it back to Los Angeles on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
After being smothered all game, failing to secure a gain longer than 6 yards through three quarters, Rams running back Kyren Williams finally managed to break through for runs of 12 and 15 yards, while Nacua continued his big night with a tackle-breaking third-down grab to extend the series before hauling in a 22-yarder across the middle into the red zone.
But for a third time on the night, the Lions defense held firm deep in its own territory. On third down, Stafford looked for Kupp in the corner of the end zone, but tight coverage by safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson contributed to the pass falling incomplete. That left Maher to kick a 29-yard chip slot that sliced the lead to 24-23 with 8:10 remaining.
"It wasn’t perfect, but at the end of the day, we knew we had to limit points, keep them out of the end zone and we did that," Lions coach Dan Campbell said.
Unfortunately for the Lions, the offense's second-half power outage continued with a three-and-out. The only saving grace was a 61-yard punt by Jack Fox that pinned the Rams at their own 9-yard line.
The Rams wasted little time pushing across midfield, taking advantage of a man coverage mismatch on Nacua for a 35-yard gain on a crossing route, followed by a 15-yard pickup on a dump-off to uncovered running back Ronnie Rivers.
As the clock ticked under five minutes, a holding penalty pushed the Rams out of field-goal range and had them facing third-and-14. Under siege in the pocket, Stafford stepped up, looking for Nacua, but Sutton forced the incompletion and punt.
From there, the Lions secured a pair of first downs, allowing Goff to take three knees as the crowd chanted his name, 'Jared Goff! Jared Goff! Jared Goff!"
"He’s one of the reasons that we won this division and he’s another reason why we just won our first playoff game here in 30 years, so what a stud," Campbell said.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
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