With Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff facing off against their former teams, it was the Detroit Lions who were aggressive early Sunday afternoon, successfully attempting an onside kick and a fake punt pass after they had scored the game's opening touchdown on a screen to running back D'Andre Swift. The Lions jumped out to a 10-0 start, but the Los Angeles Rams came storming back. Stafford led a 17-6 rally against his former team to take a lead into the locker room at the half. From there, the two teams exchanged scores until Los Angeles finally emerged victorious, 28-19.
Cooper Kupp is the NFL leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns after adding 10 receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns to his pile.
Why the Rams won
The Rams were able to apply significant pressure on Goff, and that led to two critical interceptions. The first occurred in the end zone early in the fourth quarter and the second ended Detroit's final drive. When they needed a play, the defense stepped up. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey was all over the field laying a few big hits.
Meanwhile, Kupp. Robert Woods, Van Jefferson and Tyler Higbee were all racking up yards once they caught passes from Stafford, who had more options than the Lions could defend.
Why the Lions lost
It was difficult for Detroit to stitch together successful plays and prolong drives. In addition to the turnovers, the Lions were just 6-of-15 on third-down attempts. They did convert two fake punts on fourth down, however. At the end of the day, the Lions were unable to keep pressure off of Goff, and the talent at wide receiver was not exactly giving the team ample opportunities for big plays down the field.
Play of the game
On the first offensive series of the game, Goff coaxed pressure before dumping the ball over the defense's head to running back D'Andre Swift on 3rd-and-9. Swift made an acrobatic catch, keeping his balance and shaking off defenders en route to a 63-yard touchdown.
Detroit was able to parlay that score into an onside kick and an additional field goal to jump out to an early 10-0 lead.
What's next
Detroit is off to its worst start since going 0-16 in 2008. The Lions will play against the Pennsylvania teams (vs. the Eagles, at the Steelers) in their next two games with a bye week sandwiched in between.
The Rams kept pace with the undefeated Cardinals in the NFC West. They travel to Houston next week to play the Texans before hosting the Titans on "Sunday Night Football."