The Detroit Lions continue to prove they belong among the NFL's elite.
Riley Patterson hit a 40-yard field goal with no time remaining to give the Lions a thrilling 41-38 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in one of the most entertaining games of the year. The Lions controlled most of the game, never trailing in the back-and-forth shootout, holding the ball in the final 3:34 to seal the victory.
Jared Goff connected with Sam LaPorta on fourth-and-2 with 1:47 left to set the Lions up for Patterson's heroics. The Lions were aggressive on fourth down throughout the game, converting 4 of 5 attempts -- including two fourth-and-goal conversions. Detroit racked up 533 yards of offense and averaged 8.3 yards per play in the win, improving to 7-2 for the first time since 2014.
Keenan Allen tied the game up at 38-38 on a 38-yard reception from Justin Herbert on fourth-and-1. Herbert used play-action, rolled to his right, and found a wide-open Allen who broke two tackles to score the tying touchdown. Allen finished with 175 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches, leaving the game in the second half with an injury only to return and score in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers put up 421 yards of offense and averaged 6.1 yards per play, as both teams combined for 954 yards of offense. Herbert threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the loss, his 25th 300-yard passing game in his first four seasons (Herbert is only 13-12 on those games).
Goff threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns, with David Montgomery rushing for 116 and a score and Jahmyr Gibbs having 77 and two scores. Amon-Ra St. Brown had 156 receiving yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Here's a breakdown of the wild shootout in Los Angeles.
Why the Lions won
The Lions were nearly an unstoppable force on offense, scoring on six of eight possessions (not counting end of half) and racking up 533 yards and 8.3 yards per play. Detroit rushed for 200 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. The offensive line didn't allow a sack and just two quarterback hits, having Jared Goff get rid of the ball early and often.
Even though the Lions went 4 of 13 on third down and 2 of 4 in the red zone, they were 4 of 5 on fourth down. Dan Campbell was aggressive and trusted his offensive line to protect his quarterback in order for him to make a play. They deserved their 41 points Sunday.
Why the Chargers lost
The pass defense failed Los Angeles again, as the Chargers allowed 333 yards as Justin Herbert lost another game which he threw for 300-plus yards. Herbert was brilliant and Keenan Allen was even better, but this was another one-score game the Chargers lost. Look no further than the defense.
The defense allowed 8.3 yards per play and 6.5 yards per carry, failing to get a stop at any crucial point in the game (the Lions only punted once). They couldn't get off the field on fourth down either, allowing 4 of 5 conversions on fourth down. The Chargers defense just isn't playoff caliber, which is why Herbert loses a lot of one-score games.
Turning point
Right after Keenan Allen scored to tie the game at 38-38, the Lions immediately went to work on trying to make sure the Chargers didn't get the ball back. On the first play of Detroit's ensuing possession, Jared Goff found Kalif Raymond for a 41-yard gain that took Detroit to the Los Angeles 34-yard line.
All of a sudden the Lions were in field goal range, allowing Dan Campbell to use a four-minute offense and run down the clock to win the game. All Detroit needed was a first down to get Patterson set up for the win with a few seconds left. The chess match came down to Campbell and he had his team execute on fourth down to set up Patterson.
That all started with the long completion to Raymond, who had two catches for 46 yards in the win.
Play of the game
Dan Campbell decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 with 1:47 left and the Lions on the Chargers' 26-yard line. Campbell could have had Riley Patterson kick the 44-yard field goal and take the lead, but the Chargers would have gotten the ball back (and they scored a touchdown on their last two possessions).
Campbell called a Goff throw and he found Sam LaPorta for 6 yards and the first down. The Lions forced the Chargers to burn their timeouts and kick the winner with no time left on the clock. The Lions went for it on fourth down five times on Sunday, but the fourth conversion was the biggest.
The quote
"Ballsy. ... I don't know if I can say that, but ballsy. And it paid off. We love when he (Dan Campbell) puts us in that positions to make those plays. He's got balls of steel and today he showed it." -- Jared Goff on Dan Campbell going for it five times on fourth down to CBS' Tracy Wolfson.
Up next
The Lions (7-2) will play host to the Bears while the Chargers (4-5) travel to Green Bay to face the Packers in Week 11.