Lions defeat Chargers in a heartbreaking, game-winning play.
Riley Patterson’s field goal with seconds remaining sends Justin Herbert and the Chargers losing to the Detroit Lions 41-38 despite a terrific offensive effort.
On Sunday at SoFi Stadium, the Chargers had a chance to prove themselves, and while their offense can still produce impressively, their defense is still lacking.
Riley Patterson’s game-winning 41-yard field goal on the final play gave the Lions the victory at SoFi Stadium after Detroit converted a fourth-and-two in the final two minutes of play.
Even though their offense ended the game with touchdowns on five straight possessions, the Chargers were still defeated.
Justin Herbert completed with 323 yards and four touchdowns on 27 of 40 passes. Keenan Allen caught 11 passes for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns.
However, in a game that the Chargers never led but was tied four times, the defense gave up 533 yards in all.
In a wild-card playoff game against the Chargers, Patterson, who was a player for Jacksonville the previous season, made a 36-yard field goal on the last play to win.
In a close AFC race, the loss dropped the Chargers to 4-5, while the Lions improved to 7-
Even though Keenan Allen has a shoulder injury, he isn’t letting it stop him from being a dominant player on the field.
Late in the fourth quarter, Allen tied the score with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert on a fourth-and-one play.
Lions tight end Brock Wright scored a touchdown pass of 25 yards after Jared Goff faked a play to put Detroit ahead once more.
Wright outran a leaping Derwin James Jr. to catch an overhead pass after breaking free of coverage up the middle.
The Lions’ 75-yard drive consisted of seven plays and a touchdown. With 277 yards and two touchdowns through 19 of 29 completions, Goff has so far.
Derwin James Jr. was given an unnecessary roughness penalty, but the Chargers overcame it to stop Detroit on their first possession of the second half. A safety blitz by James on Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield contributed to the Lions’ drive being stopped at the L.A. 37.
After leaving the game earlier due to a shoulder injury, Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. made a comeback in the third quarter.
In the last seconds of the first half, Austin Ekeler scored on a one-yard run on fourth down to keep the Chargers in contention before they entered the locker room.
The Chargers responded decisively to Detroit’s 75-yard touchdown run by David Montgomery with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took only 2:44 to finish.
The Chargers’ scoring drive was again propelled by the connection between Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen, as Allen caught passes for 13 and 28 yards.
With a touchdown and an interception, Herbert has completed 14 of 24 passes for 179 yards thus far. Ekeler has eight carries for 24 yards, and Allen has eight catches for 113 yards.
In the first half, Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed 10 of 15 passes for 130 yards as Detroit’s offense totaled 307 yards compared to the Chargers’ 210.
Jahmyr Gibbs increased the Lions’ lead with his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard dive on fourth down.
The Chargers had gone three and out for the second time this afternoon before the nine-play, sixty-yard drive. When Detroit was stopped by the Chargers on a fourth down from Los Angeles’ one-yard line earlier, they were unable to score.
Detroit’s drive to the end zone was fueled by a 24-yard run-and-catch by Gibbs, a 13-yard catch by Jameson Williams, and a 14-yard reception by Amon-Ra St. Brown. Compared to the Chargers’ 60 total yards and two first downs, the Lions have 227 total yards and 12 first downs.
The Chargers’ third possession came to an abrupt end when safety Kerby Joseph of the Detroit Lions picked off Justin Herbert.
On the drive’s second play, Herbert, under pressure from Detroit linebacker Alex Anzalone, who was running, threw the interception. The Lions now have the ball at the Chargers’ 33 after Joseph hauled in the errant pass while still staying in bounds.
The Lions regained the lead when Jahmyr Gibbs scored on a one-yard touchdown run following an amazing 35-yard run the previous play.
Before being knocked out of bounds, Gibbs used his speed to sprint across the field and make it all the way to the one-yard line after dodging a tackle. The Lions’ quick 75-yard drive, which took five plays, was completed by his touchdown run.
