Lions vs. Rams score, takeaways: Detroit wins first playoff game in over three decades, edges L.A. to advance

Detroit is partying like it's 1991

The Detroit Lions are partying like it's 1991. The franchise has snapped what was the longest playoff losing streak in NFL history (nine straight losses) after outlasting the Los Angeles Rams on Super Wild Card Weekend, 24-23. You have to go back to the 1991 divisional round against Dallas to find the last time the Lions have enjoyed a playoff win until tonight and have now punched their ticket to the divisional round next weekend. 

In their first home playoff game since 1993, Detroit enjoyed a scorching start, headlined by a swift 75-yard touchdown drive to begin the night to take an early lead. Jared Goff, who was perfect on that opening possession, then led two more scoring drives on the Lions following two possessions to quickly pile up 21 points. While they were scoring at a prolific rate, it was a slugfest in the first half with the Rams largely holding serve. They settled for a field goal on their opening drive but then matched the Detroit for touchdowns up until the break. 

Things did cool down on the scoring front in the second half as neither club found the end zone, and the defenses started to ramp up. Specifically, the Lions defense stood tall on two red zone trips by Los Angeles and held the Rams to field goals to maintain the lead. 

Against his former Rams team, Goff was 22 of 27 passing for 277 yards and a touchdown. Amon-Ra St. Brown was his go-to receiver, hauling in seven of his nine targets for 110 yards. As for Matthew Stafford, who was visiting Detroit for the first time since that infamous trade to L.A., he completed 25 of his 36 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Puka Nacua capped off his sensational season by breaking D.K. Metcalf's record for the most receiving yards in a playoff game by a rookie with 181 yards in the loss. 

For more on how this game unfolded, check out our main takeaways below.

Why the Lions won

Detroit had a blazing start to the game, scoring a touchdown on its first three drives. Jared Goff was extremely efficient throughout that first half as the Lions were marching up and down the field, completing 16 of his 18 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown. He spread the ball around to five different pass catchers during that run and Detroit also had solid contributions from the backfield with both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs scoring in that stretch as well. 

While the offense set the tone and put them out to an early lead in the first half, the defense carried the baton in the second half and put the clamps down on the Rams in key moments. Aidan Hutchinson was able to apply pressure on Stafford on back-to-back plays on the opening possession of the third quarter, which led to a key punt by Los Angeles to stifle any possible momentum swing. The unit also bent but didn't break by holding the Rams to two field goals when they got down in the red zone as they looked to jump out in front. 

Why the Rams lost

Los Angeles struggled mightily in the red zone. The Rams made three trips into the red area on the night and failed to score a touchdown on any of them. The first came on their first drive of the night, getting the ball as far as the Lions' 6-yard line before settling for a field goal. That field goal put them behind the eight-ball in the first half as Detroit started the game with three straight touchdown drives. In the second half, they got the ball to the 9-yard line and 11-yard line on back-to-back drives with the opportunity to either tie the game or take the lead with a touchdown and simply couldn't break through, which was the difference in the game. 

Turning point

The beginning of the second half proved to be a pivotal swing in favor of Detroit. The Rams had hung with them throughout the first half and trailed by just four points coming out of halftime and set to get the ball to start. The Lions defense forced a punt after just four plays and the offense then put together a clutch 44-yard drive that resulted in a field goal that was ultimately the difference in what was a one-point victory. 

During the drive, Goff threw a tremendous 30-yard pass to St. Brown on a third-and-6 to avoid a three-and-out and put the Lions inside Rams territory. 

Later, back-to-back negative plays pushed the unit back to the Rams' 40-yard line after getting as far as the 29. They were faced with a third-and-21 situation and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta came up with a clutch 4-yard reception that made a field goal attempt possible and Michael Badgley connected on from 54 yards out. 

Play of the game

Even in defeat, it was a remarkable day for Rams wideout Puka Nacua. He set a new rookie record for the most receiving yards in a playoff game. He finished with 181 on the day, which bests DK Metcalf's 160-yard performance back during the 2019 playoffs. Nacua not only put together a ton of yardage, but he was the key cog in the Rams offense for most of the night, coming up with grabs in clutch situations, including a 50-yard touchdown in the first half. 

What's next

With this win, the Lions will remain at Ford Field for the divisional round where they'll host the winner of Monday night's matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That game will be held on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m. ET. 

[Jan 14, 2024 at 11:04 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

What an emotional scene at Ford Field. The Lions are enjoying their first playoff win since 1991. And they'll get to stick around Detroit as they await the winner of Monday's matchup between the Buccaneers and Eagles. 

[Jan 14, 2024 at 10:54 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Seems like a pretty blatant missed DPI on that key third-down throw to Nacua. 

[Jan 14, 2024 at 10:51 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Remember, the Rams only have one timeout, so they don't have that many opportunities to stop the clock here. 

[Jan 14, 2024 at 10:51 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Stafford tried to get to Nacua, but this time the duo couldn't connect on third down. 

[Jan 14, 2024 at 10:48 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Brutal penalty for Havenstein that pushes L.A. back 10 yards.