Jared Goff leads Detroit past LA as he gets the better of Matthew Stafford in battle of QBs playing their former teams; Puka Nacua racks up 181 yards and a touchdown in Rams defeat - a playoff record for a rookie; Lions to host winner of Eagles at Bucs in next week's Divisional Round
Monday 15 January 2024 20:22, UK
The Detroit Lions won a playoff game for the first time in 32 years as they battled past the Los Angeles Rams to edge their wild card clash 24-23 on Sunday night.
David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs each rushed for first-quarter touchdowns to see the Lions race out of the blocks and into a 14-3 lead either side of a Brett Maher field goal for the Rams.
LA roared back into the contest with two second-quarter scores, the first of which was a stunning 50-yard deep ball TD from former Lions QB Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua.
It was part of a record-breaking night for Nacua, despite the defeat, as he racked up 181 yards and that score on nine grabs - a playoff record for a rookie.
After Goff found his own favourite first-year target in tight end Sam LaPorta for a two-yard TD, Stafford found the end zone again - this time Tutu Atwell running it on from 38 yards - to see the Detroit's advantage cut to 21-17 by half-time.
The absorbing, end-to-end contest that had taken hold in the first half sadly didn't quite catch alight in the same way after the interval, with only field goals added to the score.
Michael Badgley first fired one through the posts from 54 yards to stretch the Lions' lead to seven, while Maher was successful two more times as the Rams trailed by only one with eight minutes and 10 seconds left in the contest.
But, after going three-and-out on their subsequent possession, the Detroit defense held firm and forced their own stop to prevent LA from taking the lead before Goff and co successfully ran the remaining four minutes off the clock to clinch a famous victory.
Goff was 22-of-27 passing on the night, for 277 yards and one TD. Stafford went 25-of-36 for 367 yards and two scores. It was his first time back playing in Detroit since the Lions traded him in March 2021 in a package that included Goff, and other draft picks, going the other way.
Los Angeles Rams
Detroit Lions
The NFC playoff picture is almost set for the Divisional Round. Detroit will host the winner of the Monday night meeting between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles that wraps Super Wild Card Weekend, while No 1 seeds the San Francisco 49ers welcome the Green Bay Packers following their upset win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Watch the Buffalo Bills host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday at 9.30pm, live on Sky Sports NFL; the Philadelphia Eagles then travel to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to close out Super Wild Card Weekend, from 1.15am, Tuesday morning.
