Studs and Duds: Goff Delivers Long-Awaited Playoff Win
For the first time since the 1991 season, the Detroit Lions have emerged victorious in the NFL postseason.
In an emotionally-charged game that saw both starting quarterbacks square off against their former teams, it was Jared Goff who emerged victorious against Matthew Stafford.
Dealt to Detroit by the Rams three seasons ago, Goff directed the Lions to their first playoff win in over 30 years by dicing up his former team with a red-hot first half. When it mattered most, the veteran contributed two clutch first-down throws to ice the victory.
Here are the studs and duds from Detroit's 24-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
STUD: QB Jared Goff
With all the emotion riding on Sunday's game, Goff came out firing. He completed each of his first 11 passes, and rolled through the Rams' defense to the tune of 16-of-18 passing for 194 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
His touchdown pass was a fourth-down strike to Sam LaPorta near the goal line. After being traded away from the Rams three seasons ago, he delivered the Lions their first playoff win since the 1991 season.
The second half was a much slower affair for the Lions' offense, but Goff delivered in the clutch. Getting the ball back with just over 4:00 remaining, he converted two throws that went for first downs to ice the game.
Goff finished 22-of-27 for 277 yards and a touchdown.
DUD: CB Cam Sutton
Sutton and the Lions' secondary struggled throughout the game. Rams wideout Puka Nacua set the NFL record for receiving yards by a rookie with 181 on nine catches, including a 50-yard touchdown.
On Nacua's touchdown, Sutton was beaten by a hesitation move up the sideline, in what appeared to be a miscommunication in the secondary.
Sutton also got away with grabbing Nacua's jersey on a key third down, though there was contact by both parties.
STUD: EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
Hutchinson had a big night, as he was consistently in the Rams' backfield in pursuit of Stafford. In total, he recorded two sacks and five quarterback hits.
The Michigan product also drew a crucial holding penalty that took the Rams out of field-goal range in the fourth quarter. With the Rams facing a third-and-4, Hutchinson drew the call against right tackle Rob Havenstein, and wound up forcing a punt.
That punt would allow the Lions to salt the game away with two key first downs.
DUD: CB Kindle Vildor
Much like Sutton, Vildor struggled covering the Rams' plethora of talented wideouts. In particular, Vildor was beaten by Tutu Atwell for a touchdown, when he dove and missed at Stafford's pass.
Vildor spent much of the night paired up against Nacua, and failed to contain the first-year wideout.
STUD: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
In his first career playoff game, St. Brown delivered another 100-yard performance. Though he was held out of the end zone, the USC product collected seven catches for 110 yards.
None of his catches were bigger than the one he hauled in from Goff to ice the game in the fourth quarter. He was a main source of offense in the second half, posting 68 of his receiving yards after the break.
He had two big catches on the team's only scoring drive of the second half, hauling in passes of 30 and 17 yards to set up Michael Badgley's 54-yard field goal.
STUD: WR Josh Reynolds
Reynolds was the Lions' primary target early in the game, connecting with Goff on multiple passes to get the Lions in scoring position. The talented wideout, who is another former Rams player, finished with five catches for 80 yards.
The veteran delivered multiple key receptions early. He had two catches on the first drive to set up the touchdown by David Montgomery. The first went for 24 yards, while the second went for eight to put Detroit at the Rams' 2-yard line.
DUD: S Kerby Joseph
Joseph had an up-and-down night in the secondary. Known for his aggressive instincts, it was hit-and-miss for the second-year safety.
He broke up a throw intended for Tyler Higbee on a fourth-quarter play over the middle, but also had a devastating missed tackle on Nacua which led to a big gain earlier in that drive.
Additionally, Joseph was hit with an unnecessary roughness penalty after he pulled a player off a pile. It put the Rams in the red zone on their first possession of the night.
