Detroit Lions' rookies excel in 42-17 win over Denver Broncos: Game recap (2024)

The Detroit Lions rebounded with a 42-17 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday night.

The Lions entered the game fresh off a 28-13 loss to the Chicago Bears, dropping them to 2-2 in the past month. The Broncos entered the game as winners in six of their last seven games prior to tonight The Lions completed the sweep against the AFC North with a perfect 4-0 record in the cross-divisional showdown this season.

The game kicked off from Ford Field at 8:15 p.m. It was televised on NFL Network and Fox 2 in Detroit. The Lions

Lions vs. Broncos game recap, highlights

Final: Lions bounce back with dominating 42-17 win

The Lions have doubled digit wins for the first time since 2014 after a dominant 42-17 win over the Broncos on Saturday night.

The Lions delivered a strong performance on both sides of the ball and the electric pair of rookies —Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs — combined for five touchdowns to rebound from last week's loss to the Bears. LaPorta and Gibbs both scored on touchdowns in the second quarter to build the Detroit lead, and shut the door on the Broncos with a trio of second half scores. Jared Goff threw five touchdowns, tying his career high, and did not turn the ball over in a bounce back performance.

The defense had one of the best games of the season, holding the Broncos to just 17 points, all in the second half. The Broncos only had 75 yards in the first half and started the game with a fumble forced by Ifeatu Melifonwu. The Lions had two sacks and eight quarterback hits, as Aaron Glenn brought blitzes consistently throughout the game.

2:21, fourth quarter: Sam LaPorta gets 3rd TD on 4th down, Lions lead 42-17

Sam LaPorta's memorable game turned into a historic one late to close out the victory.

LaPorta caught his third touchdown of the game on fourth-and-two after getting open on a crossing route from a play-action pass. Instead of kicking the field goal, Dan Campbell kept the offense on the field and Goff fired his fifth touchdown to his new favorite target, LaPorta.

6:28, fourth quarter: Russell Wilson scores on QB sneak, Lions lead 35-17

The Broncos had no trouble this time from the goal line. Wilson punched it in from a yard out on a quarterback sneak to cut the Lions lead to 18 with just over six minutes left. Denver moved quickly down the field on chunk gains through the air for their third score on four second half possessions.

12:12, fourth quarter: Jahmyr Gibbs powers in for TD, Lions lead 35-10

The rookies are dominating for Detroit.

Jahmyr Gibbs picked up his second touchdown of the night, this time on the ground, by running through a defender at the goal line on a 12-yard pitch off the left side. Gibbs was untouched until the goal line thanks to solid blocking, but used his own strength to finish the job. Gibbs has 96 yards and two touchdowns on 10 touches so far tonight. Detroit picked up first downs on the drive thanks to a Jameson Williams contested catch, multiple David Montgomery runs and a pass interference trying to target Josh Reynolds.

0:43, third quarter: Lions hold Broncos to FG from goal line, lead 28-10

The Broncos offense were knocking on the door of a second touchdown but failed to score from the goal line after an offensive offsides on fouth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. After being stopped inches short of the goal line on third down, the Broncos rushed to the line for another attempt, but an offensive lineman's helmet in the neutral zone drew a flag, stopping a would-be touchdown. The Broncos had to settle for a field goal after the flag. Denver nearly scored on second and third down, but the referees ruled them short of the goal line with no reviews on the plays.

7:01, third quarter: Sam LaPorta makes diving catch for 2nd TD, Lions lead 28-7

The offense had an answer for the Broncos' jab. Detroit went 75 yards in eight plays, finishing the drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to LaPorta, who got inside leverage on the defender. He dove to secure the catch through contact, increasing his lead on the most touchdowns in the NFL by a tight end. The Lions picked up a key conversion on third-and-nine on an outside run from Jahmyr Gibbs, who picked up 10 yards. The following play, Gibbs broke off a 34-yard run that set the Lions up inside the five-yard line.

10:34, third quarter: Broncos get on board with Lil'Jordan Humphrey TD, Lions lead 21-7

The third quarter woes continue for Detroit. On the first drive of the second half, the Broncos marched down the field and found the end zone on third-and-goal with a three-yard touchdown pass to Humphrey. Russell Wilson stood in the pocket under pressure, and lofted a pass to his big receiver, who fought off contact for the touchdown. The drive was kickstarted with a 44-yard pass interference penalty called on Alex Anzalone on a deep shot to Marvin Mims.

0:19, second quarter: Amon-Ra St. Brown flips in for TD, Lions lead 21-0 at halftime

The Lions are firing on all cylinders in the second quarter. After another forced punt from the defense, the offense went 81 yards in 11 plays to add to the lead before halftime. From 15 yards out, Goff found a wide open St. Brown on an underneath route, and St. Brown cut upfield and front-flipped over the Broncos defender into the end zone. He probably could've just lowered his shoulder into the end zone, but St. Brown showed his flare for the camera to put an exclamation point on the half.

It was a picture-perfect half for Detroit, who overcame the slow start to outgain Denver 279-to-75 to go up three touchdowns. The offense started with three straight punts, but finished the half with three straight touchdowns to wipe the memory of the slow start. Goff has seemingly rebounded from his rough stretch, completing 19 of 26 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns to three different players.

The defense played one of their best halves in months, holding the Broncos to zero points and 75 yards. Ifeatu Melifonwu started things off with a forced fumble on the first drive to stop a potential score and deficit early, and the defense only gave up 27 yards for the rest of the half. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has been aggressive with blitzes, which has resulted in two sacks and four quarterback hits early.

8:15, second quarter: Goff hits Jahmyr Gibbs for 9-yard TD pass, Lions lead 14-0

This drive, it was Jahmyr Gibbs' turn to create the big plays and score for the Lions. Detroit's rookie running back scored after finding a gap in the zone over the middle on a route out of the backfield and hauled in the pass from Goff for the 14-0 lead. Gibbs had a 21-yard run earlier on the drive after a Josh Reynolds catch moved Detroit near midfield. Jameson Williams also got in on the action with an 18-yard catch and run down the sideline.

The defense has continued to deliver with stops. The Broncos went three-and-out following the LaPorta touchdown and the Lions came up with a sack on third down.

12:31, second quarter: Lions take 7-0 lead on Sam LaPorta TD

Sam LaPorta bullied his way into the end zone for his seventh touchdown, the most by a tight end in the NFL to give the Lions the first lead of the game. Jared Goff found LaPorta on a shallow crossing route near the sideline, and LaPorta juked out a defender and dove through two more into the end zone to give the Lions the early lead. It capped off a massive drive for the rookie tight end, who had two catches for first downs before the touchdown.

The drive started with a first down run by David Montgomery followed up by a first down on a play-action pass to LaPorta. The rookie tight end also picked up a key first down near midfield on third down. Goff also hit Josh Reynolds on a 21-yard completion to set up the touchdown.

End of 1st quarter: Defense dominates first 15 minutes, game tied at 0

The Lions offensive drought carried over into the first quarter tonight. The Lions punted on its first three possessions and managed to gain 47 yards. Detroit ended the quarter in the middle of a drive near midfield after picking up a pair of first downs.

The good news for Detroit is the defense has stepped up and answered by blanking the Broncos offense early. Denver was primed to score on its first possession before a forced fumble by Ifeatu Melifonwu gave Detroit the ball back. The Broncos had to punt on its next two drives.

11:38, first quarter: Isaiah Buggs recovers Russell Wilson fumble

It looked like the Lions were bound to fall in a hole again but the defense came up with a timely play with their backs against the wall. On a play action pass from Wilson, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu came screaming off the edge on a blitz and jarred the ball loose with a big hit on a sack. Defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs scooped up the loose ball and returned it to the Denver 37-yard line. The Broncos moved the ball immediately into Detroit territory with a 40-yard completion over the middle to Jerry Jeudy.

The Lions elected to receive, but had to punt from near midfield after the five-play drive stalled out. The Lions threw the ball on all five plays of the first possession.

Pregame notes

Head coach Dan Campbell will square off with his mentor, Broncos coach Sean Payton. Campbell worked under Payton as an assistant for the New Orleans Saints from 2016-20. Campbell had high praise for his former boss during the week, and said Denver’s midseason turnaround showed a lot of similarities to his Lions team.

INACTIVES: Frank Ragnow, Taylor Decker will start for Lions; K Michael Badgley returns

The Lions find themselves in a rut heading into the final stretch of the season, going 2-2 over the last four games after the loss last week. The Lions made the same recurring mistakes on both sides of the ball — primarily turnovers and defensive miscues — in the disjointed performance that raised warning flags.

The offense will have to get back on track after being blanked in the second half against Chicago. Jared Goff turned the ball over three times again, bringing the team’s total to 10 in the last four games, and the offense failed to string together first downs for a sustained drive until the game was out of reach. Despite the struggles, the offense still ranks third in total offense (390.3 yards per game) and seventh in scoring (26.2 points per game).

The defense continued to struggle, giving up more than 25 points for the fifth straight game. They have continued to struggle with generating stops on passing downs and creating turnovers, a stark contrast to Denver who is tied for the league lead in takeaways. The Broncos rank 24th in total offense (300.8) but have found success of late in the passing game with Russell Wilson and wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.

Lions injury report

The Lions could potentially have their regular starting offensive line back on the field Saturday. Center Frank Ragnow and left tackle Taylor Decker are both listed as questionable. Ragnow missed last week with a knee injury and Decker was added to the injury report after the game with a back injury. The Lions also listed defensive tackle Benito Jones (neck) and receiver Josh Reynolds (back) as questionable, and quarterback Hendon Hooker as out (knee).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions vs. Denver Broncos: game recap, highlights