Lions Cruise Past Colts, Injuries Pile Up in 24-6 Win

Takeaways from Lions' 24-6 victory against Colts.

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions are at the point in their 2024 season where health and recovery are of the utmost importance.

Detroit is currently in the midst of a stretch in its schedule where it will play three NFL games in a span of 11 days.

"That's where we're at. Everything that you do that's in front of you, how well can you recover? How much study can you put into this? Hydration, how well can you sleep at night? Just the discipline of everything," Dan Campbell told the Lions flagship radio station prior to the team's Week 12 game against the Colts. "All of that goes a long way. We're in the time of year where you're trying to alleviate stress off your guys as much as possible, so that they can go be at peak performance on Sundays."

Detroit entered its contest against the Colts seeking to earn its ninth consecutive win, in front of many supporters who made the relatively short trip to Lucas Oil Stadium.

After 60 minutes of action, the Lions were able to defeat the Colts, 24-6, improving their record to 10-1. Unfortunately, injuries piled up for Detroit's roster throughout the course of the hard-fought contest.

Here are several takeaways from the Lions' Week 12 victory and ninth consecutive win.

Lions had difficulty with Anthony Richardson's athleticism early

Indianapolis won the opening coin toss, and elected to start the game on offense.

Quarterback Anthony Richardson, who was benched earlier this season in favor of Joe Flacco, was able to use his athleticism and ability to scramble to aid the Colts' offense. The physical signal-caller called his own number on a couple of occasions ealry in the game.

On the opening drive, the young quarterback rushed for 35 yards on three carries. The Colts' six-minute drive stalled out near the end zone, as Matt Gay connected on a 27-yard field goal to give his team an early 3-0 lead.

Detroit's defense had given up points on its opponent's opening drive in eight of its previous 10 games.

Jahmyr Gibbs sparks offense

Detroit's talented running back was an integral part of the team's first touchdown drive.

Jared Goff faced pressure from the Colts' defensive line on the Lions' opening possession, taking the team out of field-goal range.

On Detroit's opening possession, David Montgomery saw the bulk of the carries.

Gibbs was the back tasked with shouldering the load on Detroit's second drive. The former first-round pick secured 23 yards on the ground, and capped off a nine-play, 60-yard drive with a 1-yard scamper. It gave Detroit the 7-3 lead, early in the second quarter.

With his touchdown, Gibbs became the third player in franchise history to score 10 or more touchdowns from scrimmage in their first two seasons. He joined a pair of franchise greats in Barry Sanders and Billy Sims as players to achieve that feat.

The former first round pick was able to secure another touchdown rush in the third quarter that extended Detroit's lead to 21-6.

David Montgomery added a score to put the Lions in front, 14-6, which was his 11th touchdown of the season.

Live Blog: Lions Sea of Blue Invates Invades Lucas Oil Stadium

Touchdown Lions! #26
Sonic pic.twitter.com/ALun9CDRby

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) November 24, 2024

Kindle Vildor starts in place of Terrion Arnold

After suffering a groin injury earlier in the week, rookie starting cornerback Terrion Arnold was ruled out and replaced in the lineup by Kindle Vildor. Indianapolis quickly began targeting the backup corner with deep passes, and he avoided an early mistake when Anthony Richardson overthrew Alec Pierce.

However, Vildor would later be beaten a pair of times on Indianapolis' second scoring drive. First, he was beaten on an out-route by Adonai Mitchell. Then, he was beaten on a long pass from Richardson to Pierce.

Fortunately for the Lions, the Colts' drive stalled out, in part thanks to a drop in the end zone by tight end Drew Ogletree. Two early trips to the red zone for the Colts both ended in field goals, a testament to the Lions' bend-but-don't-break style.

Lions' offense effective on third down

Detroit's offense was able to march down the field on its opening possession of the second half.

Part of the reason for the success on offense was the Lions' execution on third down.

Goff was able to lead the offense on a 54-yard drive, all the way down to the Colts' 14-yard line, to start the third quarter. On third down, the offense was able to start five-of-eight.

Campbell faced a decision on 4th-and-1, and decided to remain aggressive. Unfortunately, the Colts' defense was able to quickly penetrate into Detroit's backfield, stuffing Montgomery short and preventing the Lions from extending their 14-6 lead.

That's ✌️ for Sonic#DETvsIND | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/80C67Gt57v

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 24, 2024

Injuries pile up

The Lions' first scoring drive of the second half was a fateful one. On the punt return, Kalif Raymond was injured. Offensive tackle Taylor Decker left just plays later, after getting rolled up on during a sack of Jared Goff. Both players were ruled questionable to return.

After that, Montgomery would also exit the game. Following Gibbs' second score of the game, Montgomery was taken to the locker room, while Decker was being evaluated on the training table. Montgomery was ruled questionable to return with a shoulder injury.

Decker returned to action on the following drive, while Raymond was eventually ruled out.

Then, in the fourth quarter, cornerback Carlton Davis suffered what appeared to be a left knee injury. He proceeded to limp off the field.