David Montgomery’s 1-yard touchdown run in overtime secured a home victory for the Detroit Lions over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. Montgomery recorded 91 rushing yards, while his backfield counterpart Jahmyr Gibbs contributed 40 yards and a touchdown.
With this win, the Lions improve to 1-0, whereas the Rams start the season at 0-1.
Detroit maintained the lead for most of the game with significant contributions from Gibbs, a impressive 52-yard touchdown reception by receiver Jameson Williams, and two field goals from rookie kicker Jake Bates, who was making his NFL debut. Bates successfully kicked a crucial 32-yarder with just 17 seconds remaining, which allowed the game to go into overtime.
In terms of passing, Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed 18 of 28 attempts for 217 yards, along with one touchdown and one interception. While Williams shone in the game, star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had a quiet night with only three receptions for 13 yards.
For the Rams, quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. His sole touchdown was a 9-yard pass to Cooper Kupp late in the fourth quarter, which temporarily gave L.A. the lead until the game’s final moments.
Stafford had to play the second half without his standout wide receiver Puka Nacua, who was sidelined due to a knee injury.