The Lions fought hard in the regular season to give their fans a home playoff game for the first time in three decades, and they grinded it out to give the fans at least one more by defeating the Rams 24-23 in the wild-card round on Sunday night.
It didn’t come easily for Dan Campbell’s team, but that didn’t seem to bother anyone in a Lions uniform. Detroit’s offense was simply unstoppable early on, rattling off three 75-yard touchdown drives to start the game and jumping out to a 21-10 lead.
It looked as though this one had the chance to be an all-time shootout when the Rams answered right back and made it 21-17 before halftime, but the style of play was remarkably different in the second half. Both teams were more physical, with the Rams making effective defensive adjustments but the Lions’ defense holding serve and keeping Los Angeles out of the end zone
Matthew Stafford had a chance to go down the field and give the Rams the lead deep into the fourth quarter, even getting one more chance when the Lions made the bold call to accept a holding penalty and push Los Angeles out of field goal range, but his third down pass to Puka Nacua was incomplete.
Needing two first downs to ice the game, the Lions’ offense delivered. Detroit’s staff finished the game the only way it knew how, making a bold call and putting the ball in Jared Goff’s hands to pick up the game-ending first down. Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown, converted, and threw his hands up in celebration as the Ford Field crowd let its emotions pour out.
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