Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, but he wasn’t the main star for the Detroit Lions in one of the team’s highest-scoring games ever.
David Montgomery was the first of five Lions players to score in a dominant 52-14 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The Lions played well on offense, scoring on all five chances inside the red zone. Their defense was strong, forcing four turnovers, and special teams contributed with Kalif Raymond’s 90-yard punt return for a touchdown. He ended up with 190 yards on five punt returns, while Khalil Dorsey had a 72-yard kickoff return that helped set up another score.
Detroit became only the third team since 1941 to have both a punt return of 90 yards or more and a kickoff return of 70 yards or more in the same game.
“We play with three units, and when a couple of them are working well, it can support the others,” coach Dan Campbell said.
The NFC North-leading Lions (6-1) now have the best record in the conference after winning five straight games, averaging over 40 points in the last four, and achieving the team’s best seven-game start since 1956.
This scoring total was just shy of the franchise record of 55 points against Chicago in 1997.
The Lions managed well without big-play receiver Jameson Williams, who was serving the first of a two-game suspension for breaking the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance rules.
“We didn’t miss a beat,” Campbell said.
Detroit has been successful with Goff, but at one point, they had more points (42) than his passing yards (28) early in the third quarter. He finished the game 12 of 15 for 85 yards, benefiting from the defense’s takeaways that gave him short fields to work with.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of something like that,” said 30-year-old Goff.
The Lions also executed a trick play, as they often do in games. This time, running back Montgomery threw a touchdown pass after taking a pitch from Goff, connecting with Sam LaPorta from 3 yards out. This gave the Lions a 35-14 lead and marked their highest-scoring half since 1970.
Jahmyr Gibbs had a 70-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, finishing with a season-high 127 rushing yards. Dorsey’s long kickoff return set up Goff’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Brock Wright early in the second quarter.
Raymond’s 90-yard kickoff return early in the third quarter extended Detroit’s lead to 42-14.
The Titans (1-6) suffered another big loss for the second week in a row and have shown this is a rebuilding year by trading veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins and starting linebacker Ernest Jones Jr.
“You’re going to get blown out by every team in the league turning the ball over four times,” Titans coach Brian Callahan said. “We just don’t complement each other at all.
Right now, our special teams give up yards, our defense doesn’t get stops, we don’t do anything on offense, and we turn it over. Everything needs to be better.”
The Titans continued their streak of throwing an interception in every game when Mason Rudolph was intercepted by linebacker Trevor Nowaske in the first quarter. Rudolph later threw another pass that Kerby Joseph picked off.
Rudolph did manage to rush for his first touchdown, an 11-yarder that fooled Detroit’s defense and tied the game late in the first quarter.
Starting for the injured Will Levis, Rudolph went 22 of 38 for 266 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine early in the second quarter, along with two interceptions.
“I’ve got to protect the ball better and put our defense in a better situation,” Rudolph said. “I thought we did good things in the first half, and we did move the ball, possess the ball, but none of that matters when you get your butt kicked.”
Ridley matched a career high with 10 receptions for a season-high 143 yards, while Tony Pollard rushed for a season-high 95 yards on 20 carries.
