INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Dan Campbell needed to ensure his group had the ball till the final second, even when it meant passing up an opportunity to take the lead.
With 1:47 remaining and the rating tied at 38-all towards the Chargers on Sunday, the Detroit Lions coach went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Los Angeles 26-yard line. A discipline purpose would have given Justin Herbert and the Chargers an opportunity to win or ship the sport to time beyond regulation.
Jared Goff made the transfer repay with a 6-yard completion to rookie tight finish Sam LaPorta. Goff then kneeled down 3 times, Riley Patterson kicked a 41-yard discipline purpose as time expired, and the Lions prevailed in a 41-38 shootout over the Chargers.
Goff appreciates enjoying for a coach who’s prepared to make such gutsy calls.
“I’m sure in his head he didn’t want to give Justin the ball back with a minute and a half,” stated Goff, who threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns. “It’s a lot of fun when he puts the ball in our hands to make a play.”
In a matchup between two of the league’s most aggressive coaches, Campbell and the Lions had been 4 of 5 on fourth-down conversions whereas the Chargers transformed all three.
PHOTOS: Goff, Lions outlast Herbert, Chargers 41-38 on Patterson’s last-second discipline purpose
“One of those things we haven’t done a lot of is win the close shootouts. Every time you win and get it done you learn something from it,” Campbell stated. “The offense really showed up today big time.”
The Chargers (4-5) tied it at 38-all with 3:34 remaining when Herbert threw his fourth landing move of the day, a 38-yarder to Keenan Allen on fourth-and-1.
Goff responded by main the Lions (7-2) on a nine-play, 53-yard drive, culminating in Patterson’s kick.
Chargers coach Brandon Staley credited Goff with beating his protection on the fourth-down play.
“I felt like the first part of the play, we had defended, and then he was just able to kind of progress and he kind of optioned away from K9 (linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr.),” Staley stated.
Los Angeles scored touchdowns on its last 5 drives, however even that wasn’t sufficient.
“I thought early on it was gonna be a shootout, and that’s what it ended up being, a shootout. You got two great offenses. No matter how good a defense is, it’s hard to stop a great offense,” stated Chargers receiver Keenan Allen, who had 11 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
Goff, enjoying in SoFi Stadium for the second time since being traded by the Rams to the Lions in 2021, was 23 of 33.
David Montgomery had 116 yards on 12 carries, together with a 75-yard landing within the second quarter. Jahmyr Gibbs added 77 yards and two touchdowns for the NFC North-leading Lions.
Amon-Ra St. Brown had a career-high 156 receiving yards on eight catches, together with a 20-yard TD to place the Lions forward 31-24 within the third quarter. The Anaheim Hills native and former Southern California standout is the primary Detroit receiver to have six 100-yard video games in a seven-game span since Calvin Johnson in 2012.
The Chargers scored a minimum of 30 factors and misplaced for the second time this season. They fell 36-34 to Miami of their opener.
“There have been games where we haven’t put up enough points and there were big games where we put up some points. It didn’t happen today,” stated Herbert, who accomplished 27 of 40 passes for 323 yards with the 4 touchdowns and an interception.
A pair of 1-yard TD runs by Gibbs put the Lions up 17-3 halfway by way of the second quarter. His first rating was arrange by a 35-yard scamper the place he went off proper finish after which made a pleasant lower earlier than being tackled simply wanting the top zone.
The Chargers obtained inside 24-17 on Austin Ekeler’s 2-yard carry with 23 seconds remaining within the first half. After forcing Detroit to punt on the opening collection of the second half, Los Angeles tied it when Herbert threw an 18-yard bullet to Jalen Guyton.
After that, the sport settled right into a sample of Detroit taking the lead and LA rallying to tie it.
Following St. Brown’s rating, Chargers first-round decide Quentin Johnston scored his first landing on a 1-yard reception on fourth-and-goal with 11:30 remaining within the fourth quarter.
Four minutes later, the Lions‘ Brock Wright was wide open down the middle on a 25-yard TD reception.
HIGHLIGHT RUN
One play after Allen’s 29-yard landing within the second quarter, Montgomery took a handoff from Goff, went up the center, triggered three Chargers defenders to overlook on the Detroit 45, after which made a lower and located a lane up the left sideline to place Detroit forward 24-10. There was a replay evaluation to find out if Montgomery stepped out on the LA 16, however the play was upheld.
“It was close. I started praying again. Well, luckily it worked out,” Montgomery stated.
It was the Lions‘ longest landing run since Jahvid Best went 88 yards in 2011. Montgomery can also be the primary Detroit participant to have two speeding TDs of a minimum of 40 yards since Barry Sanders in 1998.
INJURIES
Lions: WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, acquired in a commerce with Cleveland on Oct. 31, was inactive.
Chargers: LB Chris Rumph II injured his foot throughout pregame warm-ups and didn’t play. … LB Kenneth Murray Jr. (shoulder) and TE Gerald Everett (again) had been injured through the third quarter.
UP NEXT
Lions: Host Chicago subsequent Sunday.
Chargers: At Green Bay subsequent Sunday.
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