What you need to know
David Montgomery TD run gives Lions 26-20 OT victory
David Montgomery TD run gives Lions 26-20 OT victory over Rams
🏈 Lions 26, Rams 20 — FINAL
DETROIT — A remade Rams defense played the Detroit Lions tough through four quarters on Sunday night.
But they could not stop the Lions in overtime.
Jared Goff drove his team 70 yards in eight plays and David Montgomery scored on a one-yard touchdown to send the Rams to a 26-20 defeat before 66,530 at Ford Field.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for a touchdown, running back Kyren Williams scored a touchdown and veteran safety John Johnson III had a key interception, but that was not enough.
It was another heartbreaking loss for the Rams and Stafford, who lost here, 24-23, last January in an NFC wild-card game.
Stafford, who played his first 12 seasons in Detroit, completed 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards and a touchdown, with an interception.
But Goff, for whom Stafford was traded in 2021, outdueled him again, completing 18 of 28 passes for 217 yards.
It was a costly defeat for the Rams in more ways than one.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua and offensive lineman Steve Avila left the game because of knee injuries, offensive lineman Joe Noteboom an ankle injury.
Rams and Lions head into overtime tied 20-20
🏈 Rams 20, Lions 20 — END OF REGULATION
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was sacked by Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson on the final play of the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Detroit won the overtime coin toss and will get the ball first.
Rams and Lions tied 20-20 with 17 seconds left in fourth quarter
🏈 Rams 20, Lions 20 — 17 seconds left in fourth quarter
Jake Bates tied the game on a 32-yard field goal to cap a nine-play, 55-yard drive that was aided by another costly Rams penalty.
At the end of an 18-yard catch by Detroit tight end Sam LaPorta, Rams safety Kamren Kinchens drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for making helmet-to-helmet contact on the tackle.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Matthew Stafford made a crazy pass while getting hit. But the Rams couldn’t capitalize on the feat.
Cooper Kupp TD catch puts Rams ahead late in fourth quarter
🏈 Rams 20, Lions 17 — 4:30 left in the fourth quarter
Cooper Kupp caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to cap an impressive 10-play, 80-yard drive that put the Rams ahead.
The Rams are on a 17-0 run.
Kupp helped the Rams’ cause three plays earlier when he made a spectacular, toe-dragging catch to stay in bounds for 20 yards.
Stafford completed eight of eight passes for 73 yards on the drive. He has completed 32 of 44 passes for 306 yards with a touchdown and a pick so far.
Kupp has 13 catches for 105 yards.
John Johnson III interception halts Lions drive
🏈 Lions 17, Rams 13 — 9:09 left in the fourth quarter
Rams veteran safety John Johnson III picked off Lions quarterback Jared Goff on a shot pass intended for Amon-Ra St. Brown to stop what was a 40-yard drive by Detroit.
The Rams took over on the Lions’ 20-yard line looking to piece together another drive and re-take the lead.
Red-zone penalties force Rams to settle for field goal
🏈 Lions 17, Rams 13 — 12:32 left in the fourth quarter
The Rams cut into the Lions’ lead with a 26-yard field goal from Joshua Karty, but red-zone penalties annihilated a prime chance for the Rams to tie the game.
After driving to the Lions’ 1-yard line, a facemask penalty on offensive tackle AJ Arcuri nullified a touchdown run by Jordan Whittington. A holding call on third down by Arcuri two plays later forced the Rams to settle for the field goal.
Tyler Johnson fueled the drive with a spectacular, 63-yard catch-and-run that featured the veteran wide receiver pulling off a spiffy spin move to find a wide-open sprinting lane.
Rams cut into Lions’ lead on Kyren Williams touchdown run
🏈 Lions 17, Rams 10 — 3:33 left in the third quarter
Running back Kyren Williams scored on a two-yard run to pull the Rams to within seven points.
Williams’ run capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive.
The key play in the drive was Matthew Stafford’s 14-yard pass to receiver Demarcus Robinson on fourth-and-three from the Lions’ 29-yard line.
Stafford has completed 22 of 33 passes for 165 yards.
Jared Goff finds Jameson Williams on 52-yard TD pass
🏈 Lions 17, Rams 3 — 10:29 left in the third quarter
Jared Goff connected with receiver Jameson Williams on a 52-yard touchdown pass.
Williams got behind Rams cornerback Tre’Davious White and was wide open for the pass.
Williams has three catches for 89 yards.
Goff has completed nine of 13 passes for 129 yards.
As the second half began, the Rams announced that receiver Puka Nacua and offensive lineman Steve Avila were out because of knee injuries.
Jonah Jackson has moved to left guard and rookie Beaux Limmer is playing center. Left tackle Joe Noteboom left the game because of an ankle injury.
Puka Nacua declared out for the remainder of the game
🏈 Lions 10, Rams 3 — 12:01 left in the third quarter
After returning briefly late in the second quarter after sustaining a knee injury, the Rams declared the second-year wide receiver out for the remainder of the game because of a knee injury.
The announcement came at the beginning of the Rams’ first possession of the second half.
Puka Nacua returns to the game; Matthew Stafford throws interception
🏈 HALFTIME — Lions 10, Rams 3
The Rams were threatening to tie the score, but Lions safety Kerby Joseph intercepted a pass by Matthew Stafford in the end zone with 15 seconds left in the second quarter to preserve the lead.
Rams receiver Puka Nacua left the game briefly because of a knee injury but returned the next series.
Rams left tackle Joe Noteboom was carted from the sideline to the locker room because of an ankle injury. Second-year pro AJ Arcuri, promoted this week from the practice squad, replaced Noteboom at left tackle.
Stafford has completed 16 of 26 passes for 119 yards.
Tight end Colby Parkinson has three catches for 45 yards and Cooper Kupp has six catches for 30 yards. Nacua has four catches for 35 yards.
Kyren Williams has rushed for 23 yards in five carries.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff is seven of 10 for 75 yards, including 36-yard pass to receiver Jameson Williams.
David Montgomery has rushed for 35 yards in nine carries.
Lions take lead on Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown run
🏈 Lions 10, Rams 3 — 1:57 left in the second quarter
Jahmyr Gibbs scored on a one-yard run to give the Lions their first lead.
The Lions’ nine-play, 77-yard drive began with Jared Goff’s 36-yard pass to receiver Jameson Williams.
During the series, Rams offensive lineman Joe Noteboom was carted from the sideline to the locker room because of an ankle injury.
Noteboom and receiver Puka Nacua (knee) are questionable to return.
Puka Nacua heads to sideline medical tent; Joe Noteboom carted to locker room
🏈 Rams 3, Lions 3 — 6:31 left in the second quarter
Rams receiver Puka Nacua was taken to the sideline medical tent after sustaining a knee injury on a six-yard reception. A short time later, left tackle Joe Noteboom was carted off the sideline to the locker room because of an ankle injury. The Rams listed both as questionable to return.
Nacua, who set NFL rookie receiving records last season, missed several weeks of training camp after suffering a knee injury during a joint practice with the Chargers.
Nacua has four catches for 35 yards.
Lions strike back with field goal to tie game in second quarter
🏈 Rams 3, Lions 3 — 12:17 left in the second quarter
Jake Bates kicked a 25-yard field goal to tie the score.
The Lions used 15 plays during a drive that featured running back David Montgomery, who has rushed for 35 yards in nine carries. Montgomery picked up a key first down when he gained three yards on a fourth-and-two play at the Rams’ 27-yard line.
Jared Goff’s 14-yard pass to tight end Sam LaPorta moved the Lions to the 10-yard line. But outside linebacker Michael Hoecht stopped Montgomery for a one-yard loss on second down, and Goff’s pass to LaPorta in the back of the end zone fell incomplete.
Rams take early lead after promising drive fizzles
🏈 Rams 3, Lions 0 — 4:50 left in the first quarter
Rookie Joshua Karty kicked a 41-yard field goal to give the Rams the early lead.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed seven of nine passes during a drive that started at the Rams’ 10-yard line, but it stalled inside the Lions’ 20 when Stafford was sacked and the Rams were penalized for illegal procedure.
Stafford has completed nine of 12 passes for 66 yards.
Cooper Kupp has five catches for 26 yards.
Rams set to open season with a healthy dose of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua
In early September 2023, Rams star Cooper Kupp was on injured reserve and then-rookie Puka Nacua was trying to figure how he fit into coach Sean McVay’s offense.
A year later, Kupp and Nacua will open the season as one of the NFL’s most dynamic receiver duos.
Kupp, the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year, is not injured for the first time since the 2022 season. Last year, he was sidelined for the first four games because of a hamstring issue and was hampered throughout the season by an ankle issue.
Rams vs. Lions: Inactives
Here are the players who won’t be suiting up for the Rams and Lions on Sunday night:
Rams: OL Rob Havenstein, RB Cody Schrader, OLB Brennan Jackson, ILB Elias Neal, DL Desjuan Johnson.
Here are the Lions’ inactives:
What will Aaron Donald do? Rams chase championship without him … for now
He’s out there, looming, hovering ... watching?
One of the keys to the Rams 2024 season hangs over their heads like wispy smoke from a distant fire, present but absent, here but gone.
They are Super Bowl contenders without him. They could be Super Bowl champions with him.
They would love for him to eventually show up, but they would never really say that, never openly worry about it, and never do anything to distract from the skilled young players adjusting to his massive absence.
Rookie kicker Joshua Karty embraces opening his NFL career in hostile stadium
Ford Field in Detroit, site of the Rams’ NFC wild-card playoff loss to the Lions last season, would not rank as the friendliest place for an opposing team’s rookie kicker to make his NFL debut.
The Rams’ Joshua Karty embraces the challenge.
The sixth-round draft pick from Stanford is looking forward to the Sept. 8 opener against the Lions.
“Why not just jump straight into the deep end?” said Karty, who is charged with remedying the Rams’ woebegone kicking of 2023 . “I definitely like high-energy environments. It’s just a lot of fun.”
Matthew Stafford on another return to vocal Detroit: ‘I want to hear all of it’
Matthew Stafford does want distractions, especially when he walks into an opponent’s stadium.
So, unlike many athletes, the Rams’ veteran quarterback forsakes headphones upon arrival, and embraces a hostile environment when he jogs onto the field for pregame warmups.
“I want to hear all of it,” Stafford said Wednesday before practice in Woodland Hills. “I want to smell it. I want it to feel like it’s football. That’s part of football, especially going to an away game.
“That stuff just motivates me.”
It’s ‘Sweet 16’ for Rams’ Matthew Stafford, better armed to open another season
During Matthew Stafford’s preparation for his 16th NFL season, the Rams quarterback demonstrated a knack for improvisation.
A short pass he tossed in a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys was twice tipped into the air. Stafford, much to the chagrin of coach Sean McVay, grabbed the ball, stumbled and dived across the goal line.
Asked later what he was thinking, Stafford chuckled.
“How just absolutely old I looked,” he said.
But Stafford, 36, has not shown signs of decline.
Rams vs. Detroit Lions: How to watch, start time and prediction
The Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford return to Ford Field, site of the Rams’ NFC wild-card playoff loss to the Lions.
Detroit fans booed Stafford, who played 12 seasons for the Lions, and they aren’t likely to be any kinder with quarterback Jared Goff now the favored son and the recipient of a huge extension.
The Rams offensive line is patchwork because of tackle Alaric Jackson’s suspension and tackle Rob Havenstein’s ankle injury. The Rams defense, no longer dominated by Aaron Donald but fortified with rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, will try to slow an offense that helped the Lions reach the NFC championship game last season.