Live updates: Lions cling to lead as Rams refuse to go away in fourth quarter

Fourth quarter

Rams open first-and-10 on Detroit’s 23

Stafford to Kupp for 5 yards opens this high-pressure fourth quarter in Detroit. Another defensive pass interference on Arnold in the end zone. First-and-goal at the 1-yard line — Williams stopped short, nice stand by the defense there, swarm of defenders. Whittington takes the end-around for the score, but it’s coming back, holding on the offense. Second-and-goal back at the 11-yard line.

It’s third-and-goal from the 8-yard line after Hutchinson stops Williams.

Third quarter

1:31 — Los Angeles Rams drive starts on own 15

Brian Branch, good football player, tackle for loss to get this series started. Well, then Tyler Johnson took a short pass, stopped on a dime and seemed to just keep running upfield. Johnson goes for 63 yards, and it’s first-and-10 at Detroit’s 23-yard line. That’s a big play with Puka out, stepping up for LA.

3:33 — Detroit Lions drive starts on own 30

Pair of touches for Gibbs go forward, but not much. It’s third-and-5 for the offense, can’t give the Rams the ball back with a three-and-out here. Goff hits LaPorta over the middle but he’s short, and the Lions will punt it away after the three-and-out.

10:29 — Los Angeles Rams drive starts on own 30

Stafford facing more pressure, flip to Williams loses 3 yards to open this series. Lions defense answering the call every chance they get in this game. Third-and-long after a Williams run outside gets the Rams back to where they started. Stafford and Kupp got some more tricks up their sleeve, slick play to move the chains and keep this drive alive. Stafford goes right back to Kupp, and the Rams are at Detroit’s 36-yard line with a new set of downs.

First-and-10 — Lions all over the play-action rollout pass, nothing going, another nice stop by Arnold. Williams bulldozes up the middle for 6 yards, and it’s third-and-4 with the Rams deeply in need of something here to keep this game within reach. Ford Field is straight explosive, can’t say that enough. Rams try and run for the first, barely get back to the line of scrimmage, offense likely staying on the field (they are). Stafford to Robinson, first down, got open over the middle, and Stafford was clean at extending the play and rolling out. Terrion Arnold slow to get up after the play, helmet off, slowly walking off the field.

Big third-and-6 coming up, and Arnold is back out there — penalty markers going to keep this drive alive. Defensive pass interference on Arnold, first-and-goal on the 2-yard line — Kyren Williams powers through for the score, first touchdown for the Rams. Lions 17, Rams 10

12:01 — Detroit Lions drive starts on own 41

Jared Goff and the Lions facing a third-and-3 here after a short pass to Montgomery to evade some pressure to the pocket. Jameson Williams 52-yard touchdown catch just like that, what a start there. Crowd thought it might be coming back, but illegal contact on the Rams is declined, and the Lions open this lead up. Lions 17, Rams 3

13:35 — Los Angeles Rams drive starts on own 20

Perfect punt by Jack Fox, but Rakestraw can’t make the play, and it’s a touchback. Also, the Rams have ruled out wideout Puka Nacua after the break.

Jack Campbell chases down Williams to open the half on defense with a TFL. Rams going the wrong direction, Terrion Arnold sticky in coverage and stickier on the stop. Third-and-10 for Stafford and the Rams — Branch drops the pick over the middle, had it played perfectly, and he knows it. Three-and-out, though.

15:00 — Detroit Lions drive starts on own 30

David Montgomery has the second half started with two carries for 6 yards total, and it’s third-and-4. Goff to Jameson Williams, would have been short, but hit from behind forces it out. Three-and-out before most fans are back in there seats after the lighting-fast halftime break.

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HALFTIME — Detroit Lions 10, Los Angeles Rams 3

Second quarter

Lions inexplicably snap the ball and Jared Goff gets hammered for a sack to bring this exciting first half to a close.

1:57 — Los Angeles Rams drive starts on own 25

Puka Nacua back in the game. Rams move the ball on the ground after Marcus Davenport jumped, nearing midfield, milking the clock here late in the first half.

We might have our first roughing the passer penalty, it is, on Hutchinson. First-and-10 at Detroit’s 40-yard line — Stafford got a new friend in Parkinson, big first down play up the sideline to get LA into the red zone late in second quarter. First-and-10 at Detroit’s 20-yard line, 37 seconds left — Stafford broke a sack by Hutchinson, and flicked it to his running back for an 8-yard gain before calling LA’s second timeout.

Stafford to Kupp first down, and the veteran wideout gets out of bounds. So surgical, so clean, the Rams are looking great in the quick-fire passing plays. Stafford with two risky throws down here in scoring territory, and Kerby Joseph makes him pay on the second. Huge interception to seal the first-half lead.

6:31 — Detroit Lions drive starts on own 23

And there goes Jameson Williams, huge gain, into LA’s territory. Speed kills on those slants, 36 yards for Williams. Huge back-to-back plays. Goff hits Jahmyr Gibbs, who weaves in and out of traffic to move the chains. What a huge series for this offense, great answer to this potential swing in this back-and-forth first half. Right back to Williams, who takes the reverse for a first down, but the speedy wideout is down on the field after the stop, trainers rush on the field.

Jamo walking off on his own power. LaPorta tried to help him up, but the wideout went back down. Not clear what happened there injury wise, we’ll keep our ears to the ground.

First-and-10 at the 14-yard-line — Gibbs takes the handoff out of the shotgun for 7 or 8 yards. Williams is back in the game after that run. First-and-goal at the 3after another solid rush by Gibbs on third-and-short. Brock Wright nearly scores, but one heck of a tackle by Kam Curl to stop him short of paydirt.

Second-and-goal at the 1-yard line after the two-minute warning — Noteboom and Nacua are questionable to return for the Rams — Gibbs up the middle, stopped short. Third-and-goal at the 1-yard line — previous play under review, though, we’ll see what it looks like. Gibbs might have scored, I think he got in. Nice limbo action to score. Lions 10, Rams 3

12:11 — Los Angeles Rams drive starts on own 22

Quick end-around sweep handoff to Puka Nacua, solid gain out of the gates, 7 yards on the run. Ronnie Rivers picks up enough to move those chains, and let’s see if the Lions can keep Stafford and that passing attack in check on this drive.

Rivers showing some speed around the edge there, nice 10-plus yard run to keep those chains moving. Stafford is fun to watch, I know you guys aren’t enjoying it, but whew, he’s a surgeon in this offense and he’s got some killers at receiver. First-and-10 at Detroit’s 39-yard line — another over-the-middle hit to Nacua. Thought Williams was short, but the officials are moving those chains.

First-and-10 at the 29-yard line, defense banking on the whole bend don’t break philosophy in this first half. Great diving PBU by branch. Needed that, wasn’t anything behind him if that landed in Kupp’s hands along the sideline. Stafford spins away from another Marcus Davenport pressure, third-and-10.

Stafford hits the slant to Nacua, and both are banged up a touch. Fourth-and-4, Rams want more on this drive, hard to blame them. Carlton Davis III there to get the offense off the field. Huge. Just kidding — Kupp dropped it, excuse me for not believing my eyes. While we’re here, great series for Marcus Davenport.

Lions start third-and-2 on LA’s 27-yard line

Here comes the first fourth-down attempt of the year, and Montgomery powers ahead to move those chains. Dan Campbell doesn’t waste these chances. Slick play-action pass, faking the end-around, with Goff hitting Sam LaPorta for another first down, down to LA’s 10-yard line.

First-and-goal — St. Brown makes one defender miss, then gets hammered at the 6-yard line. Montgomery gets stopped behind the line of scrimmage, and it’s third-and-goal from the 7-yard line — too high for LaPorta, who was in double coverage. Jake Bates ties this game up with the short field goal. Lions 3, Rams 3

First quarter

4:50 — Detroit Lions drive starts on own 30

Lions moving the ball on the ground there, with our first sight of Jahmyr Gibbs, as the offense looks to get into a rhythm. And an illegal hands to the face penalty on the defense certainly doesn’t hurt, first-and-10 at LA’s 49-yard line.

Montgomery, with Sione Vaki sharing the backfield, moves the chains, and this running game isn’t slowing down. It’s second-and-3 at LA’s 28-yard line after another solid gain, as the first quarter nears its end. Jameson Williams bottled on the screen despite trying to dance out of a swarm of Rams defenders.

Third-and-2 at the 27-yard line, easy to imagine the Lions going for this on fourth down if they fall short. But that’s the end of the first quarter.

11:20 — Los Angeles Rams drive starts on own 10

Holding on the return does the Lions some favors on the punt into the end zone. Stafford opens with an absolute laser to Cooper Kupp to get away from the end zone, Brian Branch wasn’t far off from the ball there. Back to Kupp, who after a injury-hampered season, might have been overlooked by the NFL world, first-and-10 on the solid catch-and-run.

Stafford operating quick, hits Colby Parkinson for another new set of downs. The Rams have operated out of the pistol and shotgun, with Stafford getting the ball out quickly. Another completion to Kupp, this one over the middle, makes it second-and-2 from the 44-yard line. Kyren Williams moves the chains, it was short, with Carlton Davis III doing his best to hang on and stop him short.

First-and-10 for the Rams near midfield. Puka Nacua gets in on the fun, with Branch missing a tackle, and the Stafford-led offense driving down to Detroit’s 38-yard line with precision. Stafford misses the throw off his back foot in the face of pressure, with the Lions getting a chance to hold here.

Third-and-6 at Detroit’s 34-yard line — Parkinson gets open in the flats, Stafford leads him upfield, and the Rams are cooking right now. So much for leaning on that rushing attack early, they’re thriving in the quick-fire passing attack early.

Levi Onwuzurike gets home for a big-time sack, what a play, what a story, and all of a sudden the Rams are facing three-and-23 after the sack/false start on the next play. Huge. That’s a big swing, and while this has been a tough series for the defense, holding them to a field goal would be a massive win. Rams run Williams up the middle on the draw, seem to settle for the points. Joshua Karty from 40 yards, and it’s good. Rams 3, Lions 0

13:26 — Detroit Lions drive starts on own 32

Three tight ends, including Parker Hesse in the backfield, for the first offensive snap from the scrimmage. David Montgomery takes it 2 yards, and then Jared Goff hits Amon-Ra St. Brown for their first connection of the new campaign. But St. Brown gets tackled by his shoelaces, and it’s third-and-4 here for this offense — Rams send the house, and the Byron Young gets home for the sack.

The Lions almost had something going, but (drink) it’s a game of inches, and that St. Brown tackle over the middle held the Lions into their own three-and-out.

15:00 — Los Angeles Rams drive starts on own 25

Matthew Stafford short pass int he flats is blown up for a loss of 1 out of the gates. Stafford tries to float one into the turkey hole, and it was a heck of an effort, but not much of one from the receiver on the ball. And just like that, it’s third-and-11 — hello, new-look defense.

The Rams run three plays, two of those last yards, and the other was the incompletion It doesn’t get better than that.

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Detroit wins the toss, they defer, Rams will start with the ball.

It’s about that time. Players heading out to midfield for the coin toss at an electric Ford Field. Seriously, the term playoff-atmosphere is overused, but not in this case for tonight’s situation here in Downtown Detroit.

Pregame

— Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, Sam Richardson, Trick Trick, Taylor Lautner, Grant Fisher and many more in the house.

— Lions playing in the all-blue blueberries to open the season, while the Rams are in the white tops, yellow pants look.

Lions inactives: DB Ifeatu Melifonwu, DL DJ Reader, OL Colby Sorsdal, OL Giovanni Manu, LB Trevor Nowaske, EDGE James Houston

Rams inactives: OT Rob Havenstein, RB Cody Schrader, EDGE Brennan Jackson, LB Elias Neal, DE Desjuan Johnson

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DETROIT — The Detroit Lions open the new campaign with the NFL’s spotlight shining down on them once again, hosting the Los Angles Rams in a wild-card rematch from a-sure-to-be electric Ford Field in Detroit.

This post will update with highlights, drive summaries, series-by-series analysis, injury updates, photos, pregame updates and more from Ben Raven. Hit refresh to keep up and follow MLive’s Detroit Lions reporters on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, @BenjaminSRaven, @KoryEWoods and @kmeinke.

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“We’re excited. I think everybody’s pretty excited,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “We’re excited to have the roster pretty much set here, and it’s the guys we want to go to war with. We have a very good opponent coming up on Sunday Night Football at our place, it just doesn’t really get any better. It really doesn’t. I think the hard thing here is understanding that we’ve still got – we’re seven days out, eight days out or whatever that is. We’ve got a little time is the point. We still have a little bit of time, and the preparation begins. This will be the first thing for us is really getting the guys moving around today, getting a little intro into their personnel as much as we can, and that’s what the focus of today will be, we’ll get them out. And tomorrow’s really like our base, first, second down day, our big day.

“Man, we’re excited, I’m excited. The staff is excited, the players, everybody. And I know our fans are ready to roll so this is going to be great.”