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    • Montgomery and O-line resurgence help Lions to victory
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    Montgomery and O-line resurgence help Lions to victory

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    Detroit — Richard Silva assesses the Detroit Lions’ performance in their 26-20 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams.

    Quarterback

    Jared Goff was everything Lions fans have come to love about him early on: smart, reliable and efficient. He completed 18 of his 28 pass attempts for 217 yards, but then put the ball in jeopardy twice — one of those plays was an interception to put the Rams in position to score a go-ahead touchdown late in the game, and Los Angeles dropped what would have been another interception on the next drive. Goff showed off his seldom-used legs to run for a clutch first down, and he converted an opportunity for a big play, throwing a ball deep down the left sideline to Jameson Williams for a score of 52 yards. Grade: B-

    Backrunners

    The duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs had a similar day to Goff — nothing spectacular, but they made plays in impact situations — until overtime, that is. Montgomery owned the overtime, as he decided he would lead the Lions to victory, amassing 45 yards and the game-winning touchdown on five rushes.

    Another key series came in the first half. After falling into an early 3-0 deficit, the Lions responded with a 63-yard drive that began with seven straight rushes (37 yards) to tie the game. Gibbs also later pulled off some impressive acrobatics to score Detroit’s first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard run, keeping his feet off the ground and weaving his way into the end zone. Grade: A-

    Wide receivers/tight ends

    It’s a number carried almost entirely by Williams, who lived up to his preseason hype, hauling in five receptions for a career-best 121 yards and a touchdown. The rest of Detroit’s receivers and tight ends combined to haul in eight balls for 60 yards. The most impressive catch of that group was an 18-yard grab, plus a 15-yard penalty against the Rams for unnecessary roughness, by TE Sam LaPorta to set up Detroit for a field goal that sent the game to overtime. Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 13 receiving yards were the third-fewest of his career. Grade: C+

    Offensive line

    Things started badly for Kevin Zeitler, making his Lions debut at right guard. Detroit’s first drive resulted in a three-and-out, largely because he allowed Rams linebacker Byron Murphy to make a 9-yard sack. The offensive line largely regrouped after that, but there were still some scattered errors — Goff was taken down again and there were two false start penalties (one to Graham Glasgow and one to Frank Ragnow) on the drive that saw Goff throw his interception. But all that was forgotten as the O-line bullied the Rams down the field in overtime. The unit showed up when it mattered most. Grade: B+

    Line of defense

    LA’s running backs combined to average 3.3 yards per carry, so that’s a solid showing from Detroit’s defensive front. But the pass rushers had the advantage of facing a third-string left tackle for most of the game, resulting in just two sacks. Aidan Hutchinson caused chaos with his pressure, but he didn’t get anywhere until he took down Matthew Stafford late in regulation. The other sack came when Levi Onwuzurike and Marcus Davenport connected at the QB, a play that forced the Rams to settle for a field goal. Grade: B

    Linebackers

    Alex Anzalone started the game with two tackles for loss on the Rams’ opening drive, forcing them to a three-and-out. Derrick Barnes also had a notable play, teaming with defensive back Brian Branch to block Los Angeles running back Kyren Williams at the goal line on first-and-goal. The Rams ultimately had to settle for three points on that drive, a development that proved crucial in a game that went to overtime. Grade: B

    Secondary

    Branch uncharacteristically missed a few tackles early on, but he recovered afterward and finished with seven tackles, along with three pass deflections. One of those PBUs led to a punt, but it was a dropped interception that could have helped decide the game earlier. Speaking of INTs, Kerby Joseph had one in the end zone late in the first half to stop the Rams before halftime.

    Looking at the numbers, Cooper Kupp went for 110 yards and a touchdown. Puka Nacua also had a good game, but he was out early with a knee injury. Grade: B

    Special teams

    Jake Bates did his job, making a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 32-yarder to send the game to overtime. He also knocked down each of his extra points. The rating takes a hit because there was a run off the foot of Jack Fox in the third quarter that was about as good as it got — the ball hit the goal line and bounced away from the end zone — but rookie cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. came in a little too hot and pushed the ball over the plane for a touchback. To be fair, it resulted in nothing more than a run by the Rams on their ensuing drive, so no harm, no foul. Sort of. Grade: A-

    Trainers

    There wasn’t much chance that the coaching decisions would have an immediate effect on the game, with Dan Campbell going for it once on fourth down and converting the try on a drive that ended in one of Bates’ field goals. The coaching staff was smart enough to see that Montgomery wasn’t going to be stopped in overtime, and they kept coming at him. They get a boost for that. Grade: A

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