DETROIT – The Detroit Lions showed off their Super Bowl potential once again Sunday with a relentless beatdown of the Tennessee Titans.
If you just looked at the final score (52-14), you would probably think it was Jared Goff and the offense leading the charge this weekend. But that wasn’t the case.
The Lions had just nine passing yards at halftime, and that was more than enough, as they went into the locker room with a 35-14 lead.
It began with a Trevor Nowaske interception that set up a two-play, 23-yard touchdown drive to break the ice in the first quarter.
Tennessee tied the game a few drives later, but Jahmyr Gibbs immediately gave the Lions the lead right back with a 70-yard touchdown run on the first play of the ensuing possession.
Once again, the Titans answered to make it 14-14, but Khalil Dorsey returned the following kickoff 72 yards to the 25-yard line. The Lions scored four plays later, and then Kerby Joseph intercepted the first pass of the next Titans possession.
It took four plays for the Lions to march 12 yards into the end zone. The Titans went three-and-out, and Kalif Raymond returned the punt 64 yards to the 22.
Ben Johnson reached into his bag of tricks and dialed up a David Montgomery pass to Sam LaPorta on National Tight Ends Day to basically cement the victory before halftime.
The beat went on after the break, as Raymond returned a punt 90 yards for a score. Calvin Ridley fumbled a few drives later and set the Lions up with yet another short field, and they scored from 26 yards out to make it a 49-14 game.
Jake Bates capped the scoring with a career-long (in the NFL) field goal of 51 yards.
Overall, their execution on defense and special teams allowed the Lions to go on scoring drives of 23, 25, 12, 22, and 26 yards -- and that doesn’t even take into account the punt return touchdown and the one-play, 70-yard scoring drive from Gibbs.
Standouts
Goff got to sit and watch the entire fourth quarter from the sideline after completing 12 of 15 passes for 85 yards and three touchdowns. That low passing total won’t help his MVP case, but I doubt Goff minds.
Gibbs ran for 127 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. LaPorta, Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Brock Wright each caught touchdown passes.
The Lions got their only sack of the game on a blitz from Alex Anzalone, so the pass rush is still an area that might need to be addressed before the trade deadline (4 p.m. Nov. 5, 2024).
What this means
With the win, 6-1 Detroit moves a full game ahead of the Packers and Vikings in the NFC North. The Bears have a chance to jump into a three-way tie for second if they beat the Commanders on Sunday evening.
The Lions have the best record in the NFC and are the only one-loss team in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs are the last remaining unbeaten.
This game was especially encouraging because the Lions dominated with defense and special teams. Everyone knows about the potency of this offense, but Detroit is proving to be a very well-rounded roster.
A massive divisional battle in Green Bay is next up for the Lions. they’ve already won at Minnesota, so a victory on Sunday would be another huge step toward defending the NFC North crown.
