Lions offense explodes in thrilling last-second victory over Chargers

The Detroit Lions did whatever they wanted on offense Sunday.

There were huge runs by their running backs. Jared Goff had a huge game with 333 yards. When the Lions needed one drive to win the game, you knew the Los Angeles Chargers couldn't stop them and they didn't.

The Lions improved to 7-2 and took another step on their run toward the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a fun 41-38 win at the Chargers. The Lions were aggressive on the final drive with a key fourth-down decision, going for it to make sure the Chargers offense wouldn't have another possession. They picked it up, which set up a game-winning field goal as time expired.

The Lions are one of the best teams in football, certainly one of the most exciting, and when's the last time you could say that?

Lions, Chargers light it up

Scoring has been down in the NFL, but Lions-Chargers bucked the trend.

The offenses went back and forth. David Montgomery had a 75-yard touchdown run, barely staying in bounds down the sideline, to give the Lions a 24-10 lead. Austin Ekeler scored just before the end of the first half to cut Detroit's lead to 24-17.

Justin Herbert threw a couple of touchdowns in the second half to tie it 31-31. It was the kind of game that has rarely happened in the NFL this season.

The shootout continued into the fourth quarter with the quarterbacks trading huge plays.

Game tied late in 4th quarter

The Lions took the lead on a great play-action pass. On third-and-1, Lions tight end Brock Wright got through the defense, was open over the middle and Jared Goff hit him for a pretty 25-yard touchdown.

With 3:34 left, the Chargers struck back. On fourth-and-1, the Lions somehow let Keenan Allen open deep and Herbert hit him for a 38-yard score. The game was tied 38-38.

That was plenty of time against the Chargers defense. On the Lions' first offensive play after Allen's touchdown, Kalif Raymond caught a 41-yard pass to put the Lions into Chargers territory. The Lions then had a fourth-down call that seemed strange but worked. Instead of trying a 44-yard field goal they went for it on fourth-and-2, and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta caught a first down. That kept the clock running, ensuring the Lions defense wouldn't have to get back on the field. Riley Patterson hit a field goal as time expired for the win.

The Lions put up 533 yards of offense. The defense wasn't great, but it doesn't matter if the offense can't be stopped.