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NFL wild-card Sunday: Lions hang on to beat Rams, win first playoff game in decades

Yahoo Sports Staff
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Finally, the Detroit Lions have won a postseason game.
Finally, the Detroit Lions have won a postseason game. (Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

The Detroit Lions have finally done it.

The Lions held on late on Sunday night to beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 in their wild-card matchup at Ford Field. The win marked the Lions' first playoff win since the 1991 season, finally ending the rough drought for fans in Detroit.

The first half was an offensive explosion by both sides. Matthew Stafford, who heard plenty of boos from the Ford Field crowd in his return, threw for 196 yards, while Jared Goff compiled 194 passing yards after going 16-for-18. The Lions took a 21-17 lead into halftime while Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who had a 50-yard touchdown catch in the first half, racked up more than 100 yards.

The Rams hit two field goals in the second half after failing to score a touchdown on two red zone trips. The Lions hit one themselves, which kept their lead at one point midway through the final quarter.

After the Rams’ second field goal, which brought them just a point back, they immediately forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with just 7:18 left in the game. While the Rams got past midfield and had a real shot at it, the Lions came up with the stop and forced a punt — which allowed them to run out the rest of the clock and win their first playoff game in decades.

Stafford finished throwing 25-of-36 for 367 yards and had two touchdowns in the loss. Kyren Williams had 61 yards on 13 carries, and Nacua set a new rookie receiving record with his 181 receiving yards on nine catches.

Goff went 22-of-27 for 277 yards and a touchdown for the Lions. David Montgomery had 57 yards on 14 carries, and Amon-Ra St. Brown had 110 yards on seven receptions.The Lions will now take on either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the next round.

Follow along as Yahoo Sports provides the latest news, scores and highlights from NFL wild-card Sunday.

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