1) Lions find a way to grind out a historic win.For the people of Detroit, who were waiting for a real outcome to celebrate for thirty-two years, this one was 32 years in the making. They got it Sunday night, though not without a few heated exchanges. With their offence clicking at full tilt, the Lions took an early lead, scoring 21 points by the halfway mark of the second quarter. But after a while, the football playoffs became like a chess match. With only three points in the second half and needing each and every one of them, the Lions exhaled with relief when their advantage increased to 24-17 thanks to a 54-yard field goal from struggling kicker Mike Badgley. Los Angeles twice made it deep into Detroit’s red zone, but Aaron Glenn’s defence sealed the deal with two short field goals. Coach Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness was evident in the manner the Lions ended the game, as they executed a second-and-9 pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown to get the last first down required to run out the remaining time. In the closing moments, NBC cameras saw Lions supporters in tears in the stands—joyful emotions that they had surely earned over decades of steadfast devotion. Campbell’s squad repaid the favour Sunday.
2) Matthew Stafford, Rams fall in valiant effort.On Sunday, Los Angeles travelled to Detroit, where Ford Field was crammed with 66,367 fans eager to vent their frustrations from the previous thirty-two years. With 4:02 remaining in the first half, the score was 21-17 thanks to a strong comeback by Sean McVay, Stafford, and teammates in spite of the jeers. All night long, Stafford performed admirably, hitting 25 of 36 passes for 367 yards while avoiding a few hard knocks to remain on the field and keep the Rams in the game. Despite not being able to capitalise on two excellent scoring opportunities in the fourth quarter, they gave it their all and eventually lost. Puka Nacua maintained his incredible season by scoring a touchdown and setting a rookie record for the most receiving yards (181) in a playoff game. Los Angeles fought to keep it close until the very end, outgaining Detroit by about 100 yards, and the final score fairly represented this game. The Rams weren’t victorious in the end, though.
3) Jared Goff exorcises a demon. Goff said over the week that he will always carry a grudge against the Rams for their indiscernible trade of him to Detroit. With three touchdowns on three consecutive drives and an early 14-3 lead for the Lions, he achieved possibly the most satisfying victory of his career on Sunday night, setting up a few haymakers for his former employer. Though he was kept out of the end zone in the second half, Goff accomplished almost all of the game’s major objectives: he threw for more than 250 yards, completed a touchdown pass (on fourth down, no less), avoided making costly errors (neither team turned the ball over), and kept the Lions in the game. All of that was accomplished by him, as he outlasted the Rams and became the team’s first playoff-winning quarterback in almost thirty years, instantly making him a hero in Detroit.
4) Sean McVay’s decisions might haunt him.In part because McVay pulled together one of his best coaching seasons to date, the Rams won a wild-card berth in a season where few predicted much of them. However, McVay made several odd decisions in this game that might have ultimately cost the Rams the opportunity to win. With three timeouts in his pocket and less than a minute remaining in the first half, McVay decided to run out the clock and go into halftime rather than try to increase the Rams’ lead before the break. The Rams were backed up deep in their own territory. McVay used up two timeouts in the second half, one in the third and one in the fourth, leaving him with just one in the last four minutes. With the knowledge that he would need to force a quick three-and-out to reclaim possession and earn enough time to get into scoring position, McVay decided to punt while trailing by one point. Seeing as the Rams failed to come up with a stop, McVay could only watch as the clock ran out. Although hindsight is 20/20, a game with such a narrow margin of victory could have been different if McVay had those timeouts available. It was a sad way to cap off an otherwise successful year.
5) Dan Campbell earns another validating feather for his cap.A few years ago, when Campbell was unveiled as the new coach of the Lions and began discussing biting kneecaps, he turned into a joke. Early in his tenure, the Lions’ struggles gave rise to concerns that he might not last long in Detroit. However, let Sunday night serve as a warning to those who lack patience. It is still a virtue and has great potential for reward. The Lions under Campbell’s leadership achieved success not only through skill but also by adopting his philosophy of changing the team’s culture from one of an underdog to one of a resilient, competitive squad that has grown into a contender. Even if it’s only one playoff victory, it’s a big one. Their upcoming test will now be even more crucial. Even though one playoff victory is good, it is insufficient for a team that has already made such progress in a short period of time.
Next Gen stat of the game: With 21 passes attempted for 266 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night while under pressure, Jared Goff had the comfort of excellent pass protection. This marks the second-most non-pressured passes without an incompletion in a game since 2018.
NFL Research:Jared Goff (121.8) and Matthew Stafford (120.9) had the second- and third-highest passer ratings, respectively, in a real quarterback competition during the playoffs against a team that a player had previously played for. The only passer rating higher was 143.3, set by Rodney Peete of the Eagles against Detroit in the 1995 wild-card game.
