By Jack Walker
Detroit Lions football is officially back following arguably the best season in team history in the Super Bowl era, and what a game it was to open the season. A game filled with cheering, anxiousness and many Lions fans screaming across the country, “WHY?” when the Lions gave up a third-and-long, a tale as old as time in Lions fandom. In the end, it was the Lions who came out on top, defeating the Rams in overtime by a score of 26-20, in a memorable start to the season.
The game was held in Detroit at Ford Field and was a rematch from the Wild Card round of last year’s playoffs. However, the biggest storyline of the game was quarterback Matthew Stafford’s second return to Detroit, the city where he spent the first 12 years of his NFL career and became the franchise’s all-time leading passer. From start to finish the team’s delivered an exciting football game.
First Quarter
Right out of the gate the new revamped Lions offense showed flashes, forcing the Rams to go three-and-out after two big tackles from veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone. But, the Lions failed to capitalize, also going three-and-out and giving the Rams the ball right back. In a game that was viewed as an “offensive battle,” the defenses were the key in the first half.
The Rams slowly but surely marched their way down the field in their second possession, going 67 yards in 13 plays, taking up 6:30 minutes of possession, and ultimately settling for a field goal to give themselves a three-point lead.
Second Quarter
Although the Lions second drive started in the first quarter, it finished in the second, because the team also sluggishly made their way down the field in similar fashion to Los Angeles. The Lions took the first risk of the game, which has become a staple in Dan Campbell’s coaching style, going for it on fourth and two, but converted thanks to running back David Montgomery. The Lions made it all the way to the Rams six yard line, but could not punch it in, settling for rookie kicker Jake Bates’ first ever career points, as he nailed a 25-yard field goal.
Once again, another long drive took place by the Rams, but in the end star receiver Cooper Kupp could not haul in a catch on fourth down, resulting in a turnover.
On the first play of the new drive, third-year receiver Jameson Williams caught a slant over the middle and ran for a 36-yard gain, a big moment for Williams who has struggled with injury and other off-field situations in his young career. It was Williams again who had a big 13-yard gain on an end around run, putting the Lions in the red zone. This time, Detroit made it to the end zone, via a Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown, giving the Lions their first touchdown of the season and making the score 10-3.
After a roughing the passer call on Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson, the Rams positioned themselves to steal some points right before halftime. Lions’ Kerby Joseph had other ideas, intercepting Stafford in the end zone, marking the first time Stafford threw an interception against his old team.
Third Quarter
I got déjà vu watching the beginning of the second half, as both teams opened with a three-and-out on their first drives, as they did in the first half. A part of the Lions downfall last season was their offensive response in the third quarter last season, in which they struggled mightily and eventually cost them a spot in the Super Bowl.
It should be noted at this point in the game Rams’ star receiver Puka Nacua was ruled out with an injury, a massive blow to Los Angeles’ offense.
The second half woes seemed to be out the window when Jared Goff connected to Williams on a beautiful route, resulting in a 52-yard touchdown to put Detroit up 17-3.
I mentioned earlier about Lions fans across the country screaming, “WHY?” That was mainly in reference to the third-and-10 Detroit’s defense allowed with about nine minutes left in the third quarter. What all Lions fans felt was gonna happen, did happen, because inevitably after the Lions couldn’t get the defense off the field on third-and-long, the Rams were able to put the ball in the end zone, making it a one possession game at 17-10.
On a drive where the Lions desperately needed to do something, they punted after three plays and gave the Rams the ball right back.
Then disaster struck for Detroit, because on a play that should have resulted in about a two-yard gain for the Rams, turned into a 63-yard play for receiver Tyler Johnson, who before the game had eight receiving yards since 2022.
Fourth Quarter
Luck was on the Lions’ side after holding the Rams to a field goal, keeping their lead at 17-3. But, the pressure was certainly starting to build and the Lions needed to do something before it was too late. It looked like they were going to do that, until Goff threw an interception at the Rams’ 20-yard line. This was another “WHY?” moment for all Lions fans, because it truly did feel like the sky was falling for us fans who are way too invested.
The Rams took over and did not fail to capitalize, continuously targeting Kupp as the Lions defense looked hopeless with no answer. Who else but Kupp to give the Rams the lead on a nine-yard touchdown with under five minutes left to play, making the score 20-17.
It was time to sound the alarms in Detroit, as we officially entered “panic mode” at this stage of the game. The Rams had now scored 17 straight points, the Lions offense looked lost along with the defense. However, the Lions made it far last season for a reason, and that was their dynamic offense they possessed, in a do-or-die moment. It was time to utilize their star players. Or not, because the Lions punted after three plays, giving Stafford and the Rams a chance to close out the game.
By some miracle, the Lions forced the Rams to punt after six plays, and were lucky to do so, because Stafford barely missed an open Kupp on what would’ve been the dagger.
Now, it was time for the Lions to utilize their offensive stars, and this time they did that, marching down the field as time kept ticking. The Lions were unable to reach the end zone however, and all the pressure fell on the rookie Bates. With a lot of eyes on him, Bates delivered the game-tying field goal knotting the game at 20 a piece.
At this point, I think a lot of Lions fans had the same collective thought when they saw the Rams still had all three timeouts, “Stafford’s going to drive down field isn’t he?”
Luckily for the Lions, he did not after a sack by Aidan Hutchinson sent the game to overtime.
Overtime
Because the game could not be stressful enough, they just had to go to overtime. By another miracle, the Lions won the coin toss and got the ball first.
The Lions did not give it back, with Montgomery being the driving force, having runs of 21 yards, nine yards, six yards, eight yards, and the winning-touchdown of one yard, to give the Lions a 26-20 win in their 2024 season opener.
The Lions played bully ball to end the game and it paid off, the team has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL for a reason, and it’s to do what they did in overtime against the Rams.
Overall Thoughts
I’ll start by saying this, the Rams were seriously depleted by injuries and will only get better with time. The Rams were down three offensive tackles, only two play at a time, which means even their backup offensive tackle got injured. Nacua was a big-time loss for the Rams and may have been the difference in the game if healthy.
For the Lions, there are definitely things that need to be improved. The offense felt extremely stagnant for a big chunk of the game in the third quarter, it was almost unwatchable at times. No slight to the Rams, but the Lions are certainly more talented on paper, especially when you factor in injuries the Rams dealt with, it was clear to me however the Rams were better coached in this game. But at the end of the day, a win is a win, and the Lions did just that.
I thought the secondary looked improved, even though Kupp was able to record over 100 yards. In the playoff game against the Rams last season, they were able to beat Detroit on a lot of passes over 10+ yards, which did not happen much in this game.
Key notes for the Lions
- The win against the Rams was the Lions first overtime victory since 2016, a potential sign that times have changed for the team.
- If the Lions want to succeed, they will need more performances out of Williams like he did against Los Angeles, as he finished the night with his first career 100+ yard game.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown finished with only 13 yards against the Rams and the team still managed to find a win. I would not expect a performance that quiet from the all-pro receiver again this season.
- Goff looked a bit shaky, however it was week one and he did not play any snaps in the preseason. He will have games where he will struggle, but for the most part I expect he will have better days.
- Penei Sewell is the best offensive lineman in football and he showed why on the final drive, continuously dominating the Rams defensive line, especially in overtime.
- Anzalone will be a key factor to Detroit this season. He led the team in tackles for loss against Los Angeles and ran all over the field, getting to Rams players whenever he could.
- Montgomery may deserve a key to the city of Detroit after his overtime performance, as he refused to be taken down on the first hit, breaking tackles left and right for the Lions to secure the win.
- In a game where it felt like Goff, St. Brown, Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and Brian Branch struggled, the Lions still managed to win against a solid team, a great sign for Detroit.
- Hutchinson could be the most important player on the team, putting up a 47.8% pass-rush win rate against the Rams per Pro Football Focus. Hutchinson is only 24, but looks ready to solidify himself amongst the best edge rushers in the NFL.
