Lions hold on for first playoff win since 1992, beating Rams 24-23

From wire reports

DETROIT – No matter if it was expected, hearing the Ford Field crowd boo him had to sting former Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford a little. But what strung worse, was the Lions denying him the opportunity to do what he does best – lead a game-winning drive in the closing minutes – ending Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams’ season.

After a first-half shootout turned into a defensive struggle the final two quarters, the Lions managed to successfully cling to their one-point lead and kill the remaining four minutes off the clock to escape with a 24-23 win Sunday night, securing the franchise’s first playoff victory in 32 years.

The Lions now advance to the division round, where they’ll host the winner of Monday night’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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. 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.

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.

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, 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, where the secondary had a communication breakdown and were late picking up Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington) 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 of the second quarter, 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 of the game.

The frantic pace slowed down in the third quarter.

The Lions looked as if they were going to 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 where 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.

But for a third time on the night, the Lions defense held firm deep in their 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 one, 24-23, with 8:10 remaining.

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!”

Packers 48, Cowboys 32: The Dallas Cowboys were outclassed in all three phases of a shocking defeat to Green Bay in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, there was a missed extra point and questionable return attempts on special teams, but nothing was more shocking than the performance of the star-studded defense.

The performance left Dallas owner Jerry Jones without answers post game.

“I don’t have any comments or answers for how and why we didn’t do what we wanted tonight,” Jones said. “I thought we were in position to advance this thing in the playoffs and maybe get as far as our dreams might take us.”

Green Bay methodically marched down the field on its first possession with a 12-play drive that featured eight runs. The Cowboys aided the drive with an offsides and defensive holding and the mental miscues would continue for the rest of the game.

While Prescott was melting down in another playoff moment, Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love was making his first playoff start and looked like a five-year veteran.

In the first half, three of Green Bay’s four offensive possessions resulted in a touchdown. Love was perfect going 12 for 12 with 152 yards and a touchdown. Love finished with a near perfect passer rating as he completed 16 of 21 attempts for 272 yards and a touchdown, clearly outplaying Prescott.