Photo: Junfu Han ~ USA TODAY NETWORK
DETROIT, Dec. 30, 2024 ~ The Detroit Lions (14-2) scored on all but one possession in a 40-34 victory on the road against the San Francisco 49ers (6-10) on Monday Night Football. Quarterback and California native Jared Goff threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns in a revenge game after last year’s NFC Championship loss.
Goff is the only QB in NFL history next to Michigan legend and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady to produce eight games with a completion rate over 75%.
Wide receiver Jameson Williams was on the receiving end of the first two touchdowns for the Lions, scoring on a three yard run and a 41-yard hook-and-ladder trick play.
Fellow wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who pitched the ladder to Williams, and tight end Sam LaPorta also caught a touchdown of their own to keep the Lions within winning range throughout the game. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs tallied 117 rushing yards to go with a game-sealing 30-yard rushing score.
Although the defense could not get a stop in the first half, a couple of key sacks and interceptions from safety Kerby Joseph helped Detroit pull away in the final 30 minutes of the evening.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
.@Lions S @JKERB25 is the first Lions safety to record 9+ INTs and a pick-six in a season since Jack Christiansen (1957).
— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) December 31, 2024
He is also the first Lions player since Jimmy Allen (1981) to record 9+ INTs in a season.#OnePride pic.twitter.com/jCF3O19nXm
(CONTINUED) Kicker Jake Bates, despite missing two extra points, made field goals when it mattered. He buried a 57-yarder along with a kick from 42 yards to continue his solid season.
For the first time in franchise history, the Lions have finished with an undefeated record on the road this season. For the fifth time this year, the team scored above 40 points in a game without turning the ball over, which is the most in a single season in NFL history.
Detroit will now gear up for a huge showdown next Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings. Winner will earn the NFC North title, a bye week to start the playoffs, and home field advantage throughout the postseason. If the Lions were to lose, they would start the playoffs on the road as the fifth seed in the NFC.
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