Detroit Lions take down Rams 24-23 for first playoff win in 32 years: Playoff highlights

They did it.

The Detroit Lions finally won a playoff game after a long 32-year wait. The Lions managed to hang on to a late lead to knock off the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 for the franchise's first playoff win since 1992. In front of a raucous Ford Field crowd, the Lions stormed out to an early lead and came up with a big defensive stop on the Rams' final possession to advance in the postseason for the first time in a generation.

The Lions built to this moment for three years since undergoing a franchise transformation under coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, which culminated in the first division title and home playoff game — and now playoff win — in three decades and the first in the history of Ford Field.

The rebuild started with a quarterback swap with the Rams, who are the barrier for the Lions tonight. Jared Goff had a strong performance against his former team, completing 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown. Matthew Stafford had a stellar performance fighting through injury against his former team, but it wasn't enough to stop Detroit.

MITCH ALBOM: Detroit Lions can undo decades of sadness with playoff win at home

Lions vs. Rams game recap

Final: Lions run out the clock for 24-23 win

It sure was nerve-racking, but the Lions were able to run out the clock for the franchise's first playoff win in 32 years. The Lions came up with a defensive stop at their own 44-yard line on the Rams' final possession with just over four minutes left, giving the ball back to the offense. David Montgomery picked up one first down with an 11-yard scamper on the second play for a first down. After the two-minute warning, Jared Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for one final first down to seal the victory, and he finished the game in victory formation against his former team.

8:10, fourth quarter: Rams add another FG, Lions lead 24-23

The Rams drove down to the Detroit red zone again, but the defense came up with another stop near the goal line to force the third chip shot field goal from Brett Maher. The Rams had first-and-10 from the Detroit 13-yard line, but picked up no yards on a first down rush and only three yards on a second down screen to set up third-and-8 from the 11. The Lions managed to pressure Stafford with a three-man rush, and he fired out of bounds toward Cooper Kupp in the corner of the end zone to set up the kick. The Rams started the drive with a first down run from Kyren Williams, who exited later with a hand injury, and followed it up with two first down throws to Puka Nacua and one to Demarcus Robinson. However, the Lions' defense came up with their third red zone stop in as many tries to maintain the slight lead.

-- Jared Ramsey

2:33, third quarter: Rams hit field goal to cut Lions' lead to 24-20

The Rams put together a 10-play, 66-yard drive ending with a 27-yard Brett Maher field goal to cut the Lions' lead back to four points. The Rams picked up yards quickly on two long completions to Davis Allen and Ronnie Rivers to move the ball inside the Detroit red zone. The Lions then forced an incompletion, a negative rush on a jet sweep and a completion short of the sticks to force the field goal. Matthew Stafford took a big hit from Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill on third-and-goal and ran off the field into the blue medical tent for brief treatment.

-- Jared Ramsey

8:41, third quarter: Michael Badgley hits long FG, Lions lead 24-17

Michael Badgley showed no issues with distance on the Lions' first possession of the second half as he banged home a 54-yard kick to extend the Lions' lead to a touchdown. Detroit's defense picked up their first stop of the game on the Rams' opening drive, forcing a punt. The offense took over at the 20-yard line, and picked up 50 yards to move into Rams' territory on two throws to Amon-Ra St. Brown along the right sideline. The drive seemed promising but a minus-5-yard rush from Jahmyr Gibbs followed by an Ernest Jones sack on Jared Goff killed the momentum of the drive at the Rams' 36-yard line, setting up the kick.

-- Jared Ramsey

Halftime: Lions lead Rams 21-17

The Lions hold a four-point advantage after the first 30 minutes of action from Ford Field. Each team scored on their first three possessions, with the Lions coming away with three touchdowns and the Rams with two touchdowns and one field goal.

The Lions' offense came out humming with three straight touchdown drives and did not face a third down until the third possession. Jared Goff had a nearly perfect half against his former team, completing 16 of 18 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown to Sam LaPorta, who is moving well despite the large knee brace for his injury. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs scored the other two touchdowns on the ground, while combining for 69 yards on 14 carries.

The Rams, led by Stafford with a cut on his throwing hand, have nearly matched the pace but started with a field goal on their opening drive. Stafford is 12-of-16 for 196 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were over 30 yards long. Stafford found Puka Nacua for a 50-yard touchdown then followed it up with a dot to Tutu Atwell on the next possession for a 38-yard touchdown. The Rams will receive the kickoff after half.

-- Jared Ramsey

4:02, second quarter: Rams respond with Tutu Atwell TD, Lions lead 21-17

A shootout has broken out inside of Ford Field after the Rams picked up another long touchdown, this time on a 38-yard touchdown pass to Atwell. Stafford fired a dot past the tight coverage to Atwell, who broke free and ran untouched to the end zone.

The Rams went 75 yards in six plays and converted one fourth down with a completion to Cooper Kupp. Puka Nacua also had a 21-yard catch to start the drive, which was followed by a defensive holding on C.J. Gardner-Johnson for the first two first downs of the drive. Stafford has been slinging the ball while dealing with an open cut between fingers on his throwing hand after it collided with Alim McNeill's helmet.

-- Jared Ramsey

7:12, second quarter: Sam LaPorta scores 4th down TD, Lions lead 21-10

The Lions' offense keeps on humming right now with its third touchdown on as many possessions to open the game. The Lions faced fourth-and-goal from the Rams' two-yard line and kept the offense on the field, as Dan Campbell is one to do. The Lions ran a play-action fake, and Goff stood patiently before finding LaPorta in the back of the end zone for the short passing touchdown. LaPorta showed no signs of being hindered by his knee injury as he got behind the defense and toe-tapped the back of the end zone for his first-ever postseason touchdown.

The Lions faced their first third downs of the game, converted two out of the three and picked up the fourth down conversion on the drive. The Lions primarily featured the run between David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, but also picked up first downs with completions to Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

-- Jared Ramsey

13:24, second quarter: Puka Nacua gets loose for 50-yard TD, Lions lead 14-10

The Lions felt the teeth of the Rams offense on their second drive of the night after Nacua, L.A.'s rookie Pro Bowl receiver, beat Cam Sutton one-on-one on the outside for a 50-yard touchdown pass. Stafford lofted the ball down the sideline to a wide-open Nacua, who then juked C.J. Gardner-Johnson at the goal line to score. The Rams picked up one first down after a 19-yard completion to Demarcus Robinson at the end of the first quarter before the deep shot to Nacua.

-- Jared Ramsey

1:31, first quarter: Jahmyr Gibbs breaks 10-yard TD, Lions lead 14-3

Another drive, another touchdown for the Lions in a perfect start by the offense through two drives. This time, the other half of the running back duo, Jahmyr Gibbs slithered his way through defenders for a 10-yard touchdown run on a counter from the shotgun. The touchdown was set up by a 33-yard completion to Josh Reynolds on a deep crossing route over the middle the play before.

The Lions covered 75 yards on the five-play drive and did not face a third down again. The drive began with a 10-yard completion to Reynolds, and a roughing the passer penalty added 15 yards. Gibbs had a 14-yard run for another first down, setting up the long play to Reynolds after a holding penalty.

-- Jared Ramsey

4:26, first quarter: Rams answer with FG, Lions lead 7-3

The Rams' offense found a similar rhythm on their opening drive, but the Lions' defense stood tall inside the 10-yard line to force a 24-yard field goal from Brett Maher. After an unnecessary roughness penalty on Kerby Joseph for pulling a player off a scrum following the play, the Rams were set up at the Lions' 16, and moved to the 6 on the next play. The Lions defense generated pressure on Matthew Stafford over the next three plays, forcing three incompletions and the field goal.

The Rams quickly moved down the field thanks to chunk plays through the air and two penalties on the Lions' secondary. L.A. picked up their first first down thanks to pass interference against Brian Branch, and followed it up with a 21-yard completion to Puka Nacua to move into Detroit territory, just prior to the Joseph penalty.

-- Jared Ramsey

9:30, first quarter: David Montgomery scores TD on opening drive, Lions lead 7-0

The Lions received the opening kickoff and came out firing on the first possession of the game. The Lions had a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown finished off with a 1-yard David Montgomery run for a touchdown up the middle to take the opening lead. The Lions had six first downs on the drive and never faced a third down as the offense hit the ground running to start the postseason.

The drive began with a 10-yard Montgomery run for a first down, followed up with another first down run two plays later. Jared Goff found Josh Reynolds on his second pass of the game for a 21-yard gain down to the Rams 30-yard line. The Lions picked up two more first downs on a short pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown and another Montgomery run to set up the touchdown. Sam LaPorta also got in on the action with an 8-yard catch.

-- Jared Ramsey

Pregame insight

Sam LaPorta is active and will suit up for the Lions, seven days after a exiting the Vikings game with a knee injury.

Like the fans, Campbell has dreamed of what a home playoff game at Ford Field would be like after taking over in 2021, and envisions an “electric” environment Sunday night. Goff downplayed the matchup with his former team, instead focusing on his desire to deliver a playoff win for the city of Detroit, which has been bubbling with excitement throughout the week.

NEXT UP? Thanks, Packers! Lions will get second home playoff game with win over Rams

The biggest question for the Lions throughout the buildup to the game was the availability of Sam LaPorta, who will be available to play. The rookie All-Pro tight end suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of the regular season finale against the Vikings and began the week on the injury report. He returned to practice late in the week, sporting a large knee brace, and will be available alongside Brock Wright at tight end.

His presence could be a key for the Lions offense against a Rams defense led by future Hall-of-Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The Lions finished the regular season third in the league in total offense (394.8 yards per game) and fifth in scoring (27.1 points per game), thanks to a balanced blend of run and pass. The Lions will look to get the running game going against a Rams defense that held teams to 88.9 yards rushing in the final eight weeks to take some pressure off Goff and the passing attack. Goff finished second in the NFL in passing yards (4,575) this season and will be facing a Rams defense that ranked 20th in passing defense (231.1 yards per game).

The Rams offense ranks just behind the Lions in terms of points and yards this season and could pose problems for Detroit’s defense. Stafford has led a deadly passing game for L.A., primarily targeting wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, to couple with the emergence of sophomore running back Kyren Williams, who was third in the NFL in rushing despite missing five games. The Lions' defense has struggled all season and as of late defending the pass, ranked 27th in the league (247.4 yards allowed per game), and struggled to defend Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb in the final three weeks of the season. The pass rush has trended up in the final weeks, powered by Aidan Hutchinson’s five sacks, and Detroit enters the game second in the NFL in defending the run (88.8 yards allowed per game).

--Jared Ramsey

Detroit Lions fans tailgate in single-digit weather

On a blisteringly cold Sunday with the temperature diving toward zero degrees three hours before kickoff, devout Detroit Lions fans managed to brave the icy winds for their tailgating traditions. Shawn Rowden, 36 of Linden, said the weather wasn’t going to force him indoors - not on this day.

“It’s just not the same,” Rowden said in a parking lot west of Ford Field. With the playoff stakes so high, Rowden said, he might blame himself if the game didn't go well and he'd abandoned his pregame ritual. Plus, it was important to show the other team how committed Lions' fans can be. He wore a Lions jersey over a Lions costume with a full mane, which provided some insulation.

Rowden and other fans in downtown Detroit shivered in 8-degree weather. But that wasn't stopping them from bundling up and celebrating the Lions ahead of their first home playoff game in three decades. Generations of Lions fans have waited - although not always impatiently - for the team's success.

Read more on the Lions tailgate scene, complete with a hot tub.

--Clara Hendrickson and Dana Afana

Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Rams start time

Date: Sunday, Jan. 14.

Time: 8 p.m. ET.

Where: Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

What channel is Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Rams?

TV channel: NBC.

Streaming live: Try Fubo (free trial).

Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1) in Detroit (find all Lions radio affiliates).

The Lions host the Rams, televised by NBC. Ann Arbor resident Mike Tirico would have had a short commute to call the game ... but he spent Saturday night doing the Dolphins/Chiefs game in Kansas City. In Detroit, he'll be working with Cris Collinsworth in the booth and Melissa Stark on the sideline reporting. If you don't pay for a cable or streaming subscription, you can watch the game live on Fubo with a free trial.

Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Rams betting odds

Odds from BetMGM as of Saturday night:

Spread: Lions (-3).

Over/under: 52 points.

Moneyline: Lions (-165), Rams (+140).

Want to bet on the NFL? Find more information on legal sports gambling.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions beat Los Angeles Rams: Highlights from NFL playoff game