Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions
· National Football LeagueMontgomery's 1-yard touchdown run in OT lifts Lions to 26-20 win over Rams
David Montgomery's 1-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted the Lions to a 26-20 win over the Matthew Stafford-led Rams on Sunday night.
“Early in the season, a lot of games come down to who makes the fewest mistakes,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We made one less than they did.”
The Lions lost a two-touchdown lead in the third quarter, but extended the game with Jake Bates' tying 32-yard field goal in the final minute of regulation.
Detroit won the coin flip and took advantage of having the ball, gaining at least 9 yards on its first four plays in overtime to set up Montgomery's winning score.
The Rams were in a position to spoil Detroit's season-opening party when Stafford threw a go-ahead, 9-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter.
They just couldn't make enough plays on both sides of the ball to hold on for the win.
Los Angeles put up quite a fight despite losing Pro Bowl receiver Puka Nacua and two linemen on its banged-up line.
“I’m really proud of this group,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. "We had a lot of guys go down and a lot of people stepped up.
“We just came up short.”
The Lions had a 17-3 lead in the third quarter after Jared Goff threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams.
“We had that double move worked out all week and he smoked them on it,” Goff said.
Detroit, though, lost the comfortable cushion because its former star quarterback picked them apart and its current one threw an interception early in the fourth.
John Johnson intercepted Goff’s pass over the middle at the Rams 20, taking away Detroit’s chance to kick a field goal and restore its seven-point lead.
Stafford took advantage, leading a 10-play, 80-yard drive that he capped with the scoring pass to Kupp. He could not complete enough passes late in the fourth to keep the ball and seal the win, leading to a punt that gave Goff another shot from his 31 with 2:11 to go.
“I had a chance to win it,” Stafford said. “Every game, there’s plays you want back.”
The Lions reached the Rams 14 and settled for Bates’ tying field goal that sent the game to overtime.
McVay insisted he did not regret a decision he made in the second quarter.
With a chance to attempt a 40-yard field goal when it was tied at 3, McVay elected to go for it and turned the ball over on downs when Stafford threw an incomplete pass that targeted Kupp.
“We came here to be aggressive and I wouldn’t take that decision back,” McVay said.
Stafford completed 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards with a touchdown and an interception, lobbing a ball in the middle of end zone where Kerby Joseph was waiting early in the second quarter. He took some hits, particularly on his right ankle, and popped up each time and make more plays.
“Give Matt Stafford a lot of credit he played lights out despite taking all those hits," Campbell said.
Kupp matched a career high with 14 receptions and had 110 yards receiving.
Goff was 18 of 28 for 217 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Williams tied a career high with five catches and set a personal best with 121 yards receiving.
“I’m proud of him,” Campbell said. “He still has a lot of room for growth. That wasn’t his best ball, but he made some plays.”
Montgomery had 17 carries for 91 yards and Jahmyr Gibbs ran 11 times for 40 yards — with both scoring a TD.
McVay said after the game that he did not have an update on the team's injured players.
Lions: DT D.J. Reader (leg) and S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle) were inactive.
Lions: Host Tampa Bay on Sunday in a rematch from the divisional round of the playoffs, a game Detroit won 31-23.
How can I watch Rams vs. Lions?
- TV Channel: Rams at Lions 2021-22 NFL, week 1 is broadcasted nationally on NBC and Peacock.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
In Canada, viewers can watch Rams vs. Lions on DAZN.
Scoring Summary
FG | 1st Period 4:50 | Joshua Karty 41 Yd Field Goal | |
FG | 2nd Period 12:17 | Jake Bates 25 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 2nd Period 1:57 | Jahmyr Gibbs 1 Yd Run (Jake Bates Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 10:29 | Jameson Williams 52 Yd pass from Jared Goff (Jake Bates Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 3:33 | Kyren Williams 2 Yd Run (Joshua Karty Kick) | |
FG | 4th Period 12:32 | Joshua Karty 26 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 4th Period 4:30 | Cooper Kupp 9 Yd pass from Matthew Stafford (Joshua Karty Kick) | |
FG | 4th Period 0:17 | Jake Bates 32 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 5 5:19 | David Montgomery 1 Yd Run |
Statistics
LAR | DET | |
---|---|---|
26 | 1st Downs | 21 |
15 | Passing 1st downs | 7 |
8 | Rushing 1st downs | 12 |
3 | 1st downs from penalties | 2 |
5-12 | 3rd down efficiency | 6-13 |
1-2 | 4th down efficiency | 1-1 |
74 | Total Plays | 61 |
387 | Total Yards | 363 |
5.2 | Yards per Play | 6.0 |
10 | Total Drives | 11 |
304 | Passing | 200 |
34/49 | Comp/Att | 18/28 |
6.0 | Yards per pass | 6.7 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
2-13 | Sacks-Yards Lost | 2-17 |
83 | Rushing | 163 |
23 | Rushing Attempts | 31 |
3.6 | Yards per rush | 5.3 |
2-5 | Red Zone (Made-Att) | 2-4 |
6-50 | Penalties | 6-56 |
1 | Turnovers | 1 |
0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
0 | Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 |
34:56 | Possession | 29:45 |
Game Information
Location: Detroit, MI
Attendance: 66,530 · Capacity:
2024 NFC West Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | T | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles | 9 | 6 | .600 | 0 | 329 | 347 |
Seattle | 8 | 7 | .533 | 0 | 339 | 340 |
Arizona | 7 | 8 | .467 | 0 | 344 | 342 |
San Francisco | 6 | 9 | .400 | 0 | 331 | 349 |
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