The Detroit Lions beat the Baltimore Ravens at their own game on their way to a 38-30 road victory. The Lions not only averaged 5.9 yards per rushing attempt, but they also managed to sack Lamar Jackson seven times.
Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams caught two passes for 44 yards on the opening drive of this game. That eventually set up a one-yard touchdown by running back Jahmyr Gibbs, which put Detroit ahead 7-0.
The Ravens responded with their own touchdown. Running back Derrick Henry broke off a 28-yard run into the end zone to cap off a six-play, 80-yard drive. That tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.
In the shadow of their end zone, the Lions were able to make something amazing happen. Backed up on their own two yard line, Detroit put together an 18-play, 98-yard touchdown drive that featured four third-down conversions to take a 14-7 lead late in the second quarter. The Lions ran for 45 yards on that series, the team’s longest drive in 14 years.
Detroit’s defense came to play in this one. Faced with a second and goal on their own one yard line, the Lions held the Ravens on three straight downs and even forced a fumble on fourth down that allowed Detroit to take possession of the football at the 21 yard line. They wouldn’t be able to do anything with the ball, and punted it back to Baltimore.
The Ravens got the ball with 56 seconds to go in the half, which was more than enough time for Baltimore to make Detroit pay. A defensive pass interference penalty on cornerback Terrion Arnold got the Ravens to the three yard line. One play later, Lamar Jackson connected with wideout Rashod Bateman on a three-yard TD pass to tie the game 14-14.
Since they had all three of their timeouts, the Lions managed to pick up 19 yards, allowing them to attempt a record-setting 67-yard field goal. The kick had the distance, but it veered wide to the left and missed the uprights, so this game went into the break tied.
Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews had an excellent night, catching six passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. He made a diving catch on a 3rd and goal for a 14-yard TD to give the Ravens their first lead of the night, 21-14. That was Andrews’ first touchdown since Week 18 of last year.
Detroit wouldn’t be down long, though. They gained 60 yards in 3:38 to tie things up 21-21 on an 18-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. With that catch, St. Brown moved into a three-way tie for the league lead in touchdown receptions.
After a quick three-and-out, Lions running back David Montgomery ran for 72 yards on a 2nd and 10 to get to the Ravens’ 15 yard line. They were eventually faced with a 4th and 1 in the red zone. They responded to that moment with a four-yard speed option run by running back Jahmyr Gibbs for his second touchdown of the evening to give Detroit a 28-21 advantage.
Following a 39-yard field goal by the Ravens to bring the score to 28-24, disaster struck. Derrick Henry coughed up his second lost fumble of the season, giving Detroit the football deep in enemy territory. Henry only had one lost fumble during the 2024-25 campaign. Thankfully for the Ravens, their defense held the Lions to a field goal and a 31-24 deficit with 6:35 left in the game.
The Lions sacked Lamar Jackson seven times tonight, tying his single-game record set in 2021. Detroit’s fourth-quarter sack eventually resulted in a punt, allowing the Lions to close out the game. Even though both teams scored one more touchdown apiece, it would be too little too late for Baltimore.
With the loss, the Ravens fell to 1-2 on the season. They have not had a losing record after Week Two of the regular season since the 2021-22 campaign.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
