Stafford shines for the Rams; Montgomery scores an overtime touchdown after a late field goal ties the game; one more game on the Week One schedule is the San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Jets Monday Night Football, which is broadcast live on Sky Sports NFL starting at 1am on Tuesday.
With a balanced attack, the Lions outlasted the Rams to start the season. Similar to their NFC wildcard game, they gained yards on the ground and utilized the air for several crucial plays. After trailing by two touchdowns in the third quarter, Jake Bates’ game-winning 32-yard field goal in the last minute of regulation gave the Lions a lead that they would eventually hold.
After winning the coin toss, Detroit capitalized on possession of the ball, gaining at least nine yards in its opening four overtime plays before Montgomery scored the game-winning touchdown. With 4:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, Stafford found Cooper Kupp for the game-winning, nine-yard touchdown pass, putting the Rams in position to spoil Detroit’s season opener.
Simply put, they were unable to generate enough plays on either side of the ball to secure the victory. Despite losing Pro Bowl receiver Puka Nacua and two linemen on its injured line—LT Joe Noteboom (ankle) and LG Steve Avila (knee)—Los Angeles put up quite a fight. After receiving four passes for 35 yards in the first half, Nacua (knee) was injured and did not return.
At the Rams 20, Goff attempted to send the ball over the middle to John Johnson, who picked it off, denying Detroit the opportunity to kick a field goal and extend their advantage to seven points.
Taking advantage of the situation, Stafford orchestrated a 10-play, 80-yard drive, culminating in a touchdown ball to Kupp. With 2:11 remaining in the fourth, he was unable to complete enough passes to maintain possession of the ball and secure the victory, which resulted in a punt and another chance for Goff to hit his 31. After the Rams were up 14 points, the Lions had to settle for a field goal by Bates to tie the score, forcing overtime.After the Lions got the ball, Montgomery broke for 21 yards as Detroit destroyed the Rams defense in overtime. The final word then went to Montgomery, who was a part of Detroit’s potent rushing attack. Jahmyr Gibbs ran 11 times for 40 yards and the game-winning run had 17 carries for 91 yards; both players scored touchdowns.
