DETROIT – The Detroit Lions are off to a roaring start to the season after defeating Matthew Stanford and his Los Angeles Rams in a 26-20 overtime thriller in walk-off fashion.
Running back David Montgomery put the struggling Lions offense on his broad shoulders during the overtime period, toting the rock five times for 45 yards and his lone touchdown to extend their home winning streak to five consecutive.
Montgomery finished the game with 17 carries for 91 yards and one score, helping the Lions improve to 1-0 on the season. “Just hand it to D-Mo,” said Jared Goff. “That battering ram just had it to him, and he did the rest. It was fun watching him kind of catch that second wind there in overtime. Our O-line was the same way. When we called that play on the one-yard line, we knew we were scoring. We punched it in, and it was great.” Goff had a modest game, tossing for 217 yards while completing 18/28 passes for one touchdown and one interception.
After an explosive first half with the Lions up 17-3, the comeback kid in Stafford led his Rams to 17 unanswered points to take a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter with just over two minutes remaining in his return to the Motor City.
But he left too much time on the clock for Goff and the offense, which got back on track after multiple three-and-outs with a two-minute drive that set up a game-tying field goal by rookie kicker Jake Bates.
The stagnant second half took the air out of Ford Field, but third-year receiver Jameson Williams brought the energy needed to reenergize the raucous Sunday (Sept. 8) night crowd. “We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot as we had some plays that we could’ve had, and I’ve got to be better with our cadence for our guys and be a little smoother on the operational stuff,” Goff said. “That alone would solve a lot of problems tonight that we had, but it just wasn’t our smoothest, but a win is a win, and we got to be happy about it.”
Williams had five receptions for a career-high 121 yards and one breakaway touchdown, where he routed up veteran cornerback Tre’davious White on a 52-yard bomb.
His previous high for receiving yards was 69 coming into the NFL Wild Card rematch on Sunday Night Football.
The Rams had more first downs (26-20), passing yards (317-217), and total yards (400-380) while running more plays (74-61) but fell short in the end thanks in part to Williams’ dynamic performance. The former Alabama speedster even rushed the ball once for 13 yards up the right sideline to get the building rocking early.
The importance of Williams having performances like he did on Sunday is pivotal for the receiving core, as the Lions, for much of these last two years, have been searching for a No. 2 option in the receivers room.
“We expected him to play pretty good, you know, to play better,” said Dan Campbell. “Man, he showed up. That was a big game, and to be able to catch some of these and go through it, and the best part of it was that he didn’t play his best ball. There’s still so much to clean up, but it also shows the work that he’s been able to put in, and he is improving, and he’s an improved player. He wants it, and he keeps working on it, and he keeps taking these steps, and as long as he keeps doing it and he keeps making plays, he is just going to continue to get better. I am proud of him, and I’m proud of where he is at, but he’s got so much room to continue to grow.”
No. 1 option Amon-Ra St. Brown was in shackles during the Rams matchup as he caught three passes for 13 yards.
Tight end Sam LaPorta came in second on the team in catches, snagging four passes for 45 yards, but J-Mo carried the team on his thin shoulders and helped them improve to 1-0 on the season.
At Alabama, he was a first-team all-American who caught 15 touchdowns before he got hurt in the CFP national championship game. He suffered an ACL injury, which caused him to miss his first 11 games during his rookie season in the National Football League.
He then got off to another slow start in 2023 due to a suspension for gambling.
“I’ve been through a lot, and just to have my QB and my head coach with me, that just gives me the extra boost of confidence, you know,” said Williams. “Next week, we’re going to go out there and do it even better than this and try and get a win. Go Lions, man.”
He has game-changing speed on the outside and quickness to get across the middle of the field, which was displayed during SNF. He had 1,500 yards receiving in college, and if he gets close to that as the Lions’ No. 2 receiver, they will be in New Orleans in 2025.