Detroit Lions beat L.A. Rams, 24-23, for first playoff win in 32 years

They booed Matthew Stafford when he ran on the field and serenaded Jared Goff with chants of his name, and in the end, the 66,367 fans at Ford Field for the Detroit Lions’ first home playoff game in 30 years were treated to an epic battle by the two protagonists in one of the most anticipated games in Lions history.

Goff, facing the team and the coach that cast him aside five years after making him the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft, completed 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown.

GOFF THE HERO: When Detroit Lions needed him most, Jared Goff came through for historic playoff win

Stafford, playing the team he spent 12 seasons with before asking for the trade that netted him a Super Bowl ring - and sent Goff and three draft picks to Detroit to jumpstart the Lions’ rebuild – threw for 367 yards and two scores but couldn’t author one of his signature comebacks at the stadium he used to call home.

Aidan Hutchinson drew a holding penalty with just over 4 minutes to play that stalled a Rams drive inside Lions territory and Goff threw for two first downs on the ensuing possession as the Lions won their first playoff game in 11,697 days, 24-23, against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Lions will host the winner of Monday’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Philadelphia Eagles game in the divisional round next week at Ford Field at 3 p.m. Sunday on NBC.

The Lions last hosted a playoff game on Jan. 8, 1994, when they lost to the Green Bay Packers, 28-24. They last won a postseason game on Jan. 5, 1992, when they beat the Dallas Cowboys, 38-6.

MONARREZ: Matthew Stafford got what he deserved with every last boo in his return to Ford Field

Rams coach Sean McVay elected to punt on fourth-and-14 from the Lions’ 44-yard line after Stafford threw incomplete on third-and-14 after the key holding penalty Hutchinson drew.

The Lions started their game-clinching possession at their own 17-yard line and after a run by David Mongtomery, Goff threw a short pass that Montgomery turned into an 11-yard gain.

Montgomery ran one more time before the 2-minute warning, while the Rams, who burned two timeouts to prevent delay-of-game penalties earlier in the second half, saved their final timeout.

INSTANT COLUMN: Matthew Stafford got what he deserved with every last boo in his return to Ford Field

But on the first play after the 2-minute warning, Goff threw an 11-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown for a first down.

Goff, who led the Rams to the Super Bowl in the 2018 season before falling out of favor with McVay, took three knees to end the game, with fans again chanting, “Jared Goff,” as he raised his arms in celebration after the first.

The Lions and Rams traded uppercuts in a fast-paced first half, with both Goff and Stafford staring against their old teams.

Goff completed his first 10 passes and led the Lions to touchdowns on three straight possessions. He went 5-for-5 on the opening drive for 51 yards, and Montgomery carried five times for 24 yards and scored on a 1-yard run.

The Rams answered with a 24-yard Brett Maher field goal on a drive that was kept alive by a pass interference penalty on Brian Branch on third-and-4, but the Lions took a 14-3 lead on the ensuing possession on a 10-yard touchdown run by Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Lions had chances to get off the field on the Rams’ second possession, but their flimsy secondary got beat for two big plays. Demarcus Robinson beat Kindle Vildor for a 19-yard gain on third-and-15 to keep the drive alive, and Puka Nacua ran past Cam Sutton on a stutter-and-go on a third-and-1 for an easy 50-yard touchdown.

Goff answered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, capped with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta on fourth-and-1, and Stafford shot back with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Tutu Atwell, after the Rams converted their own fourth-and-5 with a 6-yard pass to Cooper Kupp.

The Lions had a chance to extend their lead before halftime, but Taylor Decker was called for a questionable false start on fourth-and-5 from the 41-yard line, with the Lions trying to draw the Rams offsides. Rams outside linebacker Earnest Jones appeared to jump in the neutral zone, causing Decker and left guard Jonah Jackson to move, but officials ruled Decker flinched first.

Michael Badgley made a 54-yard field goal on the Lions’ first possession of the second half to give the Lions a 24-17 lead, and the Lions held the Rams to two field goals in the final 20 minutes to earn the victory.

St. Brown finished with seven catches for 110 yards, while Nacua had nine catches for 181 yards for the Rams, who won seven of their final eight games to make the playoffs for the first time since Stafford led them to a Super Bowl in 2021.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions beat L.A. Rams, 24-23, for first playoff win in 32 years