Determined to make up for last week’s sloppy offensive performance in their come-from-behind victory over the Houston Texans, the Detroit Lions‘ multi-faceted offense looked unstoppable in Sunday’s record-shattering 52-6 mauling of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 9-1 Lions are now tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the NFL and are the heavy-betting favorites for the Super Bowl.
Making his five-interception game in Houston look like an aberration, Jared Goff silenced his critics and is back in the MVP discussion. Goff completed an unbelievable 24/29 attempts for 412 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, earning another perfect passer rating of 158.3.
But Goff wasn’t the only one who had a sensational game. This was truly a win for the ages. The Lions scored seven straight touchdowns plus a 54-yard Jake Bates field goal on 645 yards of total offense. With so many outstanding moments, Coach Dan Campbell will undoubtedly be giving out a lot of game balls in the locker room.
What Lions 52-6 Mauling Of Jaguars Means For Playoff Quest
Scoring touchdown after touchdown, the Lions feasted on an embarrassment of riches. When you score an astounding 645 yards of total offense, there are not enough superlatives to describe how explosive the offense looked on Sunday. Putting this into perspective, the 645 yards on offense shattered franchise records as the Lions recorded the ninth most single-game yards in NFL history.
A Lopsided Lions Victory Over the Jaguars
It was a very long afternoon for the Jaguars who struggled offensively without their franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Filling in for Lawrence, Mac Jones only managed 17 of 29 throws for 138 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Jacksonville kicker Cam Little scored the team’s only points with a 59-yard field goal on their first possession and another 35-yard field goal just before the half. But after that, the Lions’ defense kept the team out of scoring position. After leading the team to two very successful seasons, Jaguars’ head coach Doug Pederson is struggling to hang onto his job and Sunday’s lopsided Lions victory didn’t help.
The Lions Offense Storms to Victory Over Jacksonville
Goff and Ben Johnson’s high-powered offense performed like a well-oiled machine. The 52 points are the most points ever scored by a Lions team. Goff made throw after precision throw to a wide range of receivers. Amon-Ra St. Brown led the charge for the wide receiving core with 11 receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns. St. Brown looked to be having a field day and made some truly stunning catches. His connection with Goff is undeniable and the pair always seem to be in sync.
Jameson Williams continued to prove himself as a deep threat with another strong performance. Jamo had four receptions for 124 yards and an eye-popping 64-yard touchdown. Tight end Brock Wright scored a touchdown. Tim Patrick also made some nice receptions.
Lions’ Dynamic Rushing Pair Key to Victory Over Jaguars
In addition to Goff’s perfect game, David “Knuckles” Montgomery and Jahmyr “Sonic” Gibbs continued their reign as the most dynamic rushing duo in the NFL. Alternating on every possession, Montgomery and Gibbs combined for 195 yards on the ground. Both scored rushing touchdowns for the Lions.
Dragging defenders along with him as he fought for every extra yard, Mongomery powered his way into the endzone for two touchdowns on 15 carries for 75 yards. He had another 20 yards on three receptions. Whirling like a pinball and ricochetting away from defenders, Sonic spun his way to another touchdown on 11 carries for 69 yards, and one stunning reception for 54 yards.
Let’s Hear It for the Lions’ Defense
Not to be left out of the fun on Sunday, Aaron Glenn’s defense had another outstanding afternoon. The Lions’ defense did a masterful job shutting down any offensive threat posed by the Jaguars. Brian Branch and Jack Campbell remain among the team leaders in tackles. Safety Kerby Joseph continued to prove he is the best in the league, recording his seventh interception of the season.
In addition to his 54-yard field goal, Bates added seven extra points on Sunday. The Lions’ superstar young kicker has been perfect, converting 15 out of 15 field goals and 39 of 40 extra points.
Credit the entire Lions organization for an outstanding effort on Sunday. Unfortunately, the only thing marring an otherwise perfect afternoon was the reported broken arm suffered by talented linebacker Alex Anzalone. Before exiting the game on Sunday, Anzalone was all over the field and made a stunning solo tackle. Anzalone will be out for 6-8 weeks as he recovers from his injury. Next up for the Lions is a game against the 5-6 Indianapolis Colts as they continue their “Demolition Derby” through the NFL.
Main Photo: [Junfu Han] – USA Today Sports
