Takeaways from Lions' 41-38 Triumph over Chargers
On Sunday, Jared Goff returned to the place where his NFL career started: the city of Los Angeles.
And, in his return to Hollywood, Goff, the No. 1 overall pick of the L.A. Rams in the 2016 draft, led the Lions to a stellar offensive performance, including a game-winning drive.
With the running prowess of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery on full display, Detroit gained 300-plus yards of total offense in the first half.
It helped the Lions capture the 41-38 win over the Chargers, in Detroit's first game since the bye week.
With seven wins now in its first nine games, has Dan Campbell's team finally proven that it belongs in the same conversation as the NFC's best teams?
CBS Sports game analyst Tony Romo certainly thinks so.
"I went into the week saying I know they’re good, but I didn't know how complete this football team was," Romo said of the Lions, during CBS Sports' broadcast of Detroit's Week 10 tilt with Los Angeles. "Everybody out there thinking about the top teams in the NFC, put them there. This is a top-two, top-three team in the NFC right now."
Here are the major takeaways from Detroit's triumph over the Chargers in Week 10.
Penalty derails Lions’ first drive
The Lions started off their game-opening drive by moving the football down the field with ease.
On the first play from scrimmage, Goff connected with tight end Sam LaPorta on an out pattern that went for nine yards. That was followed by a solid, first-down run from David Montgomery and then a bomb from Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown for 46 yards.
So, within just three plays, Detroit had already gained 63 yards. It was about as smooth of a start as Goff & Co. could have hoped for.
But, the drive was soon stunted by a questionable call from the officials. With the Lions now in the red zone and lined up at the Chargers’ 10-yard line, Goff found Jameson Williams on a short pass play. Williams proceeded to take the toss into the end zone for what should’ve been a 10-yard score. Yet, the touchdown was called back as the result of a low-block penalty called against offensive lineman Taylor Decker.
Due to the penalty, Detroit lost 15 yards, and had to settle for a 33-yard field goal from Riley Patterson. It gave the Lions a 3-0 lead with 10:09 to play in the first quarter.
Jahmyr Gibbs showcases explosiveness
Gibbs looked elusive and explosive all afternoon long against the Chargers.
On the Lions' second drive alone, the rookie back recorded 52 yards on the ground, including the drive-ending score. It marked his third straight game with a rushing touchdown.
Gibbs' big run of the possession came on a first-and-10 play from the Chargers' 36-yard line. On the play, he took the handoff from Goff, and bounced it to the outside for 35 yards. It set up a first-and-goal situation from Los Angeles' 1-yard line.
This time around, the Lions came up with a touchdown in the red zone, via the 1-yard TD from Gibbs. It gave Detroit a 10-3 advantage over the Chargers, with 4:18 to play in the opening quarter.
Campbell remains aggressive
Campbell's aggressive play-calling backfired early in the second quarter.
It came on the possession immediately following Kerby Joseph's interception late in the first quarter.
Detroit subsequently started the drive on the Chargers' 33-yard line, and marched all the way down the field via a variety of effective runs from Montgomery and a 9-yard catch from St. Brown. The St. Brown catch brought the Lions to Los Angeles' 1-yard line yet again. However, this time around, Detroit, after two consecutive runs from Montgomery that resulted in no gain, failed to cash in and turned it over on downs.
This wasn't the last time that Campbell would keep his offense on the field on fourth-and-goal from the 1, though.
On the subsequent possession, Detroit encountered the same exact scenario. The Lions started off this drive on their 40-yard line, and drove the remaining distance on the heels of some explosive plays from Gibbs, Williams and St. Brown. Those productive plays got Detroit all the way down to the 1-yard line, with yet another interesting decision for Campbell to make on fourth-and-1 on the goal line.
Even after failing on the same play on the previous possession, the third-year Lions head man stayed true to himself and remained bold. He opted to leave his offense on the field, and dialed up a run play with his rookie runner. Gibbs made the most of the opportunity, and punched it in for his second score of the day. It gave Campbell's squad a 17-3 advantage with 7:30 remaining in the first half.
Montgomery helps Lions run all over Chargers
The duo of Gibbs and Montgomery was electric Sunday at SoFi Stadium. It proved to be one of the major difference-making factors in the big road win for the Lions.
As noted above, Gibbs finished the contest with two scores -- the first multi-touchdown game of his career -- and 77 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Montgomery suited up for the first time since Week 6, and looked as healthy as ever before. He ran with some serious tenacity, and ended up amassing 116 rushing yards on the day.
The highlight of Montgomery's day, though, came late in the second quarter on his 75-yard touchdown run. On the aforementioned play, he took an inside handoff from Goff, bounced it to the outside, evading multiple defenders in the process, and tight-roped the sideline to stay in bounds. It was an incredible run from the veteran back that Lions fans won't forget anytime soon.
It was part of a day in which Detroit's backs, namely Gibbs and Montgomery, experienced a tremendous amount of success running and executing inside-handoff plays on both third and fourth down.
Keenan Allen tough to cover
The veteran Chargers wideout -- now in his 11th NFL season -- proved to be tough to cover all afternoon long for Detroit's defensive backs.
Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert frequently had an ample amount of time to dissect the Lions' secondary, which provided the slippery Allen with all the time he needed to consistently get open.
He made the most of the open space in the first half, ending the opening half with 113 yards and a touchdown.
Allen also was on the receiving end of Herbert's game-tying touchdown throw with 3:34 to play in the fourth quarter (tied up the game at 38).
It was an impressive display from the longtime No. 1 Chargers receiver.
Lions' pass-rush non-existent (yet again)
Outside of second-year EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions failed to generate a consistent amount of pressure against Herbert.
Herbert remained clean in the pocket for most of the afternoon, and in fact, went unsacked in both the first and second halves of action.
This came after Herbert had been sacked at least once in seven of the Chargers' first eight games, including five times a week ago against the N.Y. Jets.
As a result of the lackluster pass-rush, Herbert was also allowed to scramble out of the pocket for his game-tying touchdown throw to Allen late in the fourth quarter.
It was another underwhelming performance from Detroit's pass-rushing unit.
Amon-Ra St. Brown slippery in open field
On Sunday, St. Brown once again proved just how dynamic he can be in the open field.
The third-year wideout evaded Chargers defenders all afternoon long, en route to his sixth game this season with north of 100 receiving yards.
He capped off the impressive showing with a 20-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter.
Additionally, with his Week 10 performance, St. Brown became the first Lions player since Calvin Johnson (in 2012) to produce 100 receiving yards six times in a seven-game span.
Jared Goff has strong fourth quarter
Goff was back in his home state of California Sunday, and helped the Lions orchestrate a near game-winning drive early in the fourth quarter.
The drive featured a heavy dose of creativity from Detroit offensive play-caller Ben Johnson, including a designed run for St. Brown that went for six yards.
Johnson also found a way to get his tight ends involved on this possession. Not only did LaPorta come up with a big first-down catch, but Brock Wright also came through with a clutch reception.
It came off a play-action pass from Goff that left Wright open in the middle of the field. Wright proceeded to walk into the end zone, to put the Lions ahead, 38-31, at the time.
Goff also helped lead the drive that set up Patterson's 41-yard, game-winning field goal. The veteran signal-caller completed 23-of-33 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns in the victorious effort for Detroit.
