Despite their best efforts, the Detroit Lions survived the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, clinching the winning score in overtime with a little bully ball.
Lions running back David Montgomery punched in the game-winning touchdown from one yard out, 4:41 into the extra session. The run capped off an eight-play, 70-yard drive, which featured seven run plays for 60 yards.
Montgomery alone accounted for 45 yards off five carries. The 27-year-old broke off three rushes of eight yards or more, including a tone-setting 21-yard gain on the drive’s second play.
The Lions did pretty much whatever they wanted on the ground, out-gaining L.A. 163 (5.3 YPA) to 83 (3.6 YPA). Montgomery led the charge, finishing with 91 yards (5.4 YPA) off 17 carries, while Jahymr Gibbs contributed 40 yards (11 carries) and a touchdown.
The display of strength in OT helped the Lions avoid what would have been a devastating loss.
Up 17-3 with 10:29 left in the third quarter, the Lions soon watched their double-digit lead slip away. The Rams responded with an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive en route to 17 unanswered points, eventually taking a 20-17 lead with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter.
The Lions would respond late, tying the game on a Jake Bates 32-yard field goal with 17 ticks remaining. That set the stage for Detroit’s dominant drive midway through overtime, which moved the defending NFC North champs to 1-0 on the season.