NFL’s “wild card” They beat the Rams in the end on Sunday and won their first playoff victory in 30 years.
Late on Sunday night, the Lions held on to beat the Rams 24-23 at Ford Field in a wild-card game. The win was the Lions’ first in the playoffs since 1991, ending a long streak for fans within Detroit.
Both teams went on the attack a lot in the first half. Matthew Stafford threw for 196 yards, even though the Ford Field fans booed him a lot when he came back. Jared Goff, on the other hand, went 16-for-18 and had 194 yards.
After the first half, the Lions were ahead 21–17. Rams receiver Puka Nacua had more than 100 yards and a 50-yard TD catch in the first half.
It took the Rams two trips into the red zone before they scored a touchdown. In the second half, they kicked two field goals. The Lions made their shot, which kept the advantage at one point in the last quarter.
After the Rams’ second goal, which cut the lead to one point, they forced a three-and-out right away and got the puck back with 7:18 left in the game.
The Lions made a great stop and forced a punt, which gave them time to run out the clock and win their very first playoff contest in decades. The Rams got past midfield or had a good chance to score.
Stafford completed 25 out of 36 throws, gained 367 yards, and scored two scores in the loss. Kyren Williams ran 13 times and gained 61 yards. Nacua set a new record for rookie receiving yards with 181 yards upon nine catches.
For the Lions, Goff completed 22 out of 27 passes, gaining 277 yards and a score. David Montgomery ran 14 times for 57 yards, and Amon-Ra St.
Brown caught seven passes for 110 yards. In the next round, the Lions will play either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Lions haven’t had a playoff game at home in 30 years. For the sake of the story, there may not be a more worthy opponent instead of the one they will face on Sunday night when the playoffs come back to Detroit.
Matthew Stafford is also coming back to Detroit. Stafford brought honor back to the Lions team that chose him when it was at its worst.
Stafford was the Lions’ quarterback for 12 years before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. The trade seemed more like a way to help out a team pillar.
The Rams are not going to feel bad about the deal they made. In the inaugural season of his career, Stafford took the team to victory in the Super Bowl.
After a year full of injuries in 2022, he’s back to being one of the most stable players in the NFL this year.
But the Lions have done better than most people thought they would. The Lions got Jared Goff in a trade as a possible bridge quarterback, but he has become their star quarterback, and general manager Brad Holmes as well as coach Dan Campbell have established a strong team around him.
People wouldn’t blame Stafford and Goff for being upset on Sunday night, but they need to get their minds back on football right away.
The Lions still have real chances to make the Super Bowl in the NFC after a 12-win season. The Rams, on the other hand, were one of the NFL’s best teams at the end of the year and have a strong receiving group led by Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua.
But the situations are very different for each brand. It’s been 32 years since the Lions last made the playoffs, while it’s only been two years since the Rams won a title.
Goff made 22 out of 27 throws, which led to 277 yards and a single score. Matthew Stafford threw for 367 yards as well as two scores while going 25-36 against his old team.
Coming into the playoffs, the Lions were the third seed. They will play the winner of this weekend’s game between the team from Philadelphia and the Buccaneers of Tampa Bay in the divisional round.
In the team’s inaugural playoff game in 30 years, the Detroit Lions will have one of the players who has been with the team since they won the NFL crown in 1957 but has not led them to a playoff victory.
Matthew Stafford was chosen by Detroit in 2009 when the Lions had the league’s first 0-16 season. On Sunday night, he will return to Ford Field in the Los Angeles Rams, three years after asking over a trade that led to a huge deal that helped both teams.
Stafford won the Super Bowl with the Rams two years ago. The Rams got Stafford in trade for Jared Goff or first-round picks which helped the Lions take record-setting rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, great rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, and second-year WR Jameson Williams.