The Detroit Lions won a playoff game in the NFL for the first time since the 1991 season with their 24:23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. At Super Wild Card Weekend it was Amon-Ra St. Brown who made the difference.
Rams @ Lions: At a glance
- In the end, the Lions got their first playoff win in 32 seasons in the NFL and also ended the NFL’s longest losing streak in the playoffs.
- Despite the bankruptcy, Puka Nacua set a rookie record for the Rams.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown didn’t score a touchdown, but he played a particularly large role in the success of his Lions.
Rams @ Lions: The analysis
The first playoff game in the history of Ford Field started spectacularly, with the first six drives on both sides ending in points. Particularly noteworthy: The Lions started with a drive that had only positive plays and ended with a touchdown run by David Montgomery.
The Rams responded with a field goal after being stopped in the red zone for three incompletions and the Lions’ answer was the next touchdown. This time it was a little more difficult, but in the end rookie Jahmyr Gibbs ran ten yards into the end zone. Former Lions star Matthew Stafford then made his first statement and found rookie receiver Puka Nacua for a 50-yard touchdown pass.
However, the Rams defense still had no access and was once again dismantled by their ex-quarterback Jared Goff. He finally found tight end Sam LaPorta for another touchdown after he had previously moved the ball primarily with short passes to Josh Reynolds, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Gibbs. The Rams struck back again before halftime as Stafford found Tutu Atwell for a 38-yard touchdown pass. Halftime score: 21:17 Detroit.
After the break, the defense came into its own better and, above all, stopped the run better. That led to the Lions only being able to get a 54-yard field goal from Michael Badgley after a defensive stop, while the Rams once again stalled in the red zone. Nacua took a hard hit to the helmet, Stafford, in turn, was hit hard by several defenders, led by Aidan Hutchinson, after a pass on 3rd down and crashed his helmet to the ground after suffering a bloody hand early in the game had brought. The Rams also only kicked one field goal. Meanwhile, Stafford and Nacua were both able to continue after checks in the blue tent.
Rams @ Lions: St. Brown puts the finishing touches
The Rams then made it into the red zone once again, led by a few long catches from Nacua, but there it was over again and Brett Maher scored his third field goal of the game, which brought the Rams to within one point (23:24 ) came midway through the fourth quarter.
The Rams got the ball back quickly, but were then stopped in the opponent’s half, partly because the referees overlooked an obvious pass interference on Nacua. The Lions then stopped giving the ball away and St. Brown got the final 1st down to win.
This is the first time the Lions have won a playoff game since the 1991 season. The next opponent next weekend will be the winner of the duel between the Buccaneers and Eagles (Tuesday night, 2:15 a.m. live on RTL).
Los Angeles Rams (#6) @ Detroit Lions (#3)
Result: 23:24 (3:14, 14:7, 3:3, 3:0) BOXSCORE
Rams @ Lions: Key stats
- With this win, the Lions ended their longest active playoff losing streak of nine games.
- Despite the loss, Nacua set a new rookie playoff record with 181 receiving yards (9 REC).
- The Rams had almost 100 more yards (425:334), but were 0-3 in the red zone, which probably broke their neck in the end. The Lions were 3-3 there.
The star of the game: Amon-Ra St. Brown (Wide Receiver, Lions)
St. Brown not only provided the final 1st down, he was also the one who moved the chains most effectively. 78 percent of his plays resulted in first downs. He also led his team with seven receptions for 110 yards.
The flop of the game: pass defense (Rams)
The Rams defense managed to contain the run, especially in the second half. But there were always too many gaps in the air. Tackling was also a big problem, which was made clear by Michael Hoecht’s missed tackle, which led to Montgomery’s penultimate 1st down. That was emblematic of his team’s problems.
Analysis: Rams @ Lions – that stood out tactically
- The Lions met the Rams right at the beginning with their base defense and sometimes even five men on the line to stop the run game. This risked mismatches against the Rams’ 11-personnel, but it was a good way to nip the run in the bud.
- The Rams defense largely avoided blitzes, which meant that they were very rarely able to really generate pressure. Meanwhile, Aaron Donald was constantly placed in the double or even triple team, which made him ineffective and his teammates had little idea what to do with this freedom. However, it has to be mentioned that they increased their blitz frequency especially in the second half and Goff made an impact.
- What was surprising was that the Rams sometimes forewent a slot corner and tried with an outside linebacker in the slot against St. Brown, among others, which, as expected, went wrong.
- But when the Rams switched to sub-packages and still relied on a 5-man front, they got the run under control, but with their two deep safeties, that left gaps over the middle for crossers, which Goff kept using exploited.
- Offensively, the Rams played a lot of play action before the break, but after the break they largely abandoned this method and focused more on classic dropbacks in the passing game.