DETROIT (AP) — Matthew Stafford led 31 fourth-quarter comebacks for the Detroit Lions.
On Sunday evening he almost scored a goal for them.
“We had to overcome a lot of adversity,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “We gave ourselves a chance, but we just couldn’t do it.”
Stafford, who played 12 seasons for Detroit, played behind a makeshift offensive line and helped Los Angeles overcome a 17-3 deficit. His 9-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp gave the Rams a 20-17 lead with 4:35 left, but the Lions finally won 26-20 in overtime.
After the Rams took the lead, the defense forced Jared Goff and the Lions into a three-and-out, giving Stafford the ball back at the 11-yard line with 4:10 left.
Three plays later, he threw to Demarcus Robinson for 6 yards on third-and-5 to continue the drive. The Lions had to call timeouts and the Rams were on the verge of a Week 1 victory.
Stafford’s offensive line, however, was plagued by injuries. Two holding penalties on backup tackle AJ Arcuri cost the Rams in the red zone, including one that cost a touchdown off the board. And on second-and-12 with 2:31 to play, a false start by Warren McClendon Jr., the other backup tackle, set the Rams back 5 yards as they tried to end the game.
After the false start, Robinson made an end-around of 7 yards, giving the Rams a third-and-10 from the 22-yard line with 2:26 left, but Stafford narrowly missed Kupp on what would have been a crucial first down.
“It’s just that some unfortunate things happened,” Stafford said.
At the end of the game, the Rams were missing three offensive linemen – a position they were already short at – and No. 2 wide receiver Puka Nacua, who left the field with a knee injury.
Kupp contributed by catching 14 passes for 110 yards, but Stafford had no control over Nacua when he was under pressure.
However, he did not blame the offense.
“We were already pretty thin on the team up there and I was proud of the guys who played there,” he said. “They never flinched.”
After Stafford missed Kupp, the Lions extended the game. Goff put them in position for the tying field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation, then Detroit won the coin toss in overtime.
Detroit needed eight plays – seven runs and a pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs – and won 26-20 thanks to a 1-yard run by David Montgomery.
“This is an opportunity for us to move in the right direction,” McVay said. “Tonight was a good indicator of the mental and physical strength of this group.”
McVay had no interest in second-guessing one of his more important decisions. In the second quarter, with the game tied 3-3, McVay attempted fourth-and-4 from the Lions’ 23-yard line rather than attempting a 40-yard field goal.
Kupp failed to make the catch and the Rams lost points that could have made the difference in another narrow loss to the Lions in the final stretch.
“That’s why we didn’t get it done last time,” McVay said, referring to the Rams’ three field goals in a 24-23 playoff loss to Detroit in January.
McVay had no update on injuries to his offense and was unsure whether Nacua had aggravated the knee injury he sustained in training camp.
___
NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
