The Lions’ stars have stepped up early today in Los Angeles.
Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson intercepted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and returned it 58 yards on the Rams’ first offensive possession, setting up the Lions in the red zone.
On the very next play, Lions quarterback Jared Goff hit wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the end zone to give the Lions a 7-0 lead.
The Lions’ first offensive drive was promising, but Lions head coach Dan Campbell surprisingly didn’t trust his offense on a fourth-and-4, instead sending out kicker Jake Bates, who missed a field goal. Campbell has earned a reputation as the NFL’s most gutsy coach on fourth downs, and his decision to kick when the analytics said to go for it was not a good omen for Detroit. But Hutchinson and St. Brown made big plays to change the game in a hurry.
