Jared Goff leads Lions in revenge over Rams

DETROIT — Led by quarterback Jared Goff, the Detroit Lions earned their first home playoff victory since 1991 with a 24-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field.

Sunday's wild-card round win came at the expense of former Lions (now Rams) quarterback Matthew Stafford in his return to Detroit. Both teams came out firing in the first half and the Lions held a 21-17 lead into halftime.

The Lions entered the playoffs as the third seed and will play the winner of the “Monday Night Football” matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+) in the next divisional round. weekend.

For the first time in three decades, the Lions hosted a home playoff game in Detroit, and the sold-out atmosphere was electric. With a host of former players and celebrities cheering them on, the Lions held off the Rams to end the NFL's longest active playoff winning drought. They hadn't won a playoff game since defeating the Dallas Cowboys in the 1991 divisional round.

Promising trend: Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson continued his stellar play. Hutchinson finished the regular season with five sacks in the final two games and put a lot of pressure on Stafford, recording two sacks and four QB hits.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Defensively, Stafford picked apart the secondary in the first half. During the regular season, the Lions allowed seven passing touchdowns of 25+ passing yards, second most behind the Washington Commanders (11). On Sunday they gave up two to the Rams. Stafford threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to receiver Puka Nacua and a 38-yard touchdown pass to receiver Tutu Atwell.

QB Breakdown: “Jared Goff” chants echoed throughout the building before kickoff as fans showed him their respect before facing the quarterback (Stafford) he was traded for in 2021. During the game's first two drives, Goff scored 9-for-9 and had not been pressured or abandoned the pocket while averaging 5.3 passing yards per attempt. Goff would finish the night with 277 passing yards, while going 22-for-27 with a touchdown. — Eric Woodyard

Next game: vs. Eagles/Buccaneers winner (3 p.m. ET, Sunday, Jan. 21)

In the week leading up to the game, Stafford said several times that while he was excited to return to Ford Field, he was more excited that the Rams were playing a playoff game of any kind after most of those outside the building They didn't believe they could do it. He had a chance to make the postseason.

Stafford's return to Detroit (his first game at Ford Field since being traded to the Rams) didn't have a fairytale ending for the Rams quarterback, who didn't throw a touchdown in the second half.

Stafford completed 25 of 36 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 120.9 in a game the Rams never led.

Silver lining: The Rams continued to get production from rookie fifth-round pick Puka Nacua, who had nine receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown. Nacua set the record for most receiving yards by a rookie in NFL playoff history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Worrying trend: The Rams went without a touchdown in three trips to the red zone against the Lions, going 0-0 in the red zone in a game for the first time this season.

The biggest hole in the game plan: Goff was a perfect 22 of 22 for 277 yards and a touchdown when he wasn't pressured. That's the most such attempts without completing a playoff start since ESPN began tracking pressures in 2009. On the other hand, Goff was 0-for-5 with three sacks when he was pressured. Those eight uncompleted putbacks under pressure are tied for Goff's career high. -Sarah Barshop