It’s Sunday night, and the evening closes with arguably the best matchup of the entire NFL Week 6 slate. The Detroit Lions (4-1) and Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) are two of the best teams in the NFL.
Don’t let the record of the Chiefs fool you. They’re starting to figure things out on offense, and while the defense isn’t up to their standards, it’s only a matter of time before legendary defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo figures things out. And for all of their current struggles, they are still currently ranked sixth in the NFL in efficiency metric DVOA, while also in the top-six in offensive EPA/play.
That could be a handful for Detroit’s beat-up defense. The Lions are missing both starting cornerbacks, a reserve cornerback, a starting nickelback, and both safeties—while active—are battling injuries that held them out for most practices this week.
Then again, the Lions have a pretty darn good offense of their own. Entering Week 6, the Lions led the league in points scored. Jared Goff is dealing and putting up MVP numbers. Jahmyr Gibbs continues to show why he’s one of the best running backs in the league. And Amon-Ra St. Brown seemingly cannot be stopped.
So who comes out on top of this heavyweight matchup? Sick right here to find out. We’ll be updating this post as soon as the game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. This post will have drive-by-drive recaps, highlights from the game, and score updates until the game concludes. Just head to this page and keep refreshing during the action.
The Detroit Lions won the toss and opted to receive, a change in strategy. After a pair of runs, the Lions faced a third-and-5 on their opening series. Jared Goff calmly found a wide open Sam LaPorta for an 11-yard gain to keep the drive alive. A pair of passes to Jameson Williams gained 22 yards and put the Lions into field goal territory. From there, the Lions turned to their run game Jahmyr Gibbs converted a third down, then drove the team inside the 10-yard line with a decent pickup. Facing a third-and-goal from the 2-yard line, the Lions came up a yard short. Obviously, the Lions opted to go for it, and they appeared to convert with a trick play throw to Goff.
However, Goff committed an illegal shift on the play, and after a conversation the officials threw the flag. Detroit then opted to settle for a field goal and Jake Bates drilled it from 28 yards. 3-0 Lions.
While the Lions’ offense chipped away at the Chiefs defense with a slow, methodical drive, the Chiefs’ offense hit on explosive plays with their opening drive. It kicked off with a pass to Travis Kelce that he turned upfield for a 15-yard gain. Then Patrick Mahomes hit JuJu Smith-Schuster for 30 yards. On the next play, Isiah Pacheco turned the corner for an 11-yard pickup into the red zone. The Lions were able to force a third-and-8, and Mahomes scrambled for 5 yards, setting up a fourth-and-3. Kansas City opted to go for it, and Xavier Worthy beat Amik Robertson to the flats for a 6-yard touchdown. Harrison Butker did miss the extra point, though. 6-3 Chiefs.
Detroit hit on an explosive play of their own on the final play of the first quarter. Goff stood tall in the pocket with good protection and found LaPorta for a 26-yard gain into Chiefs territory.
David Montgomery opened the second quarter with a 13-yard run up the gut. On the ensuing third-and-3, Goff threw a dart to Jameson Williams over the middle of the field, and the young receiver took it to the house for a 22-yard touchdown. 10-6 Lions.
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