Jared Goff threw two of his four touchdown passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for three rushing touchdowns, and the Detroit Lions routed the Jacksonville Jaguars 52-6 on Sunday.
The NFC-leading Lions (9-1) have won eight straight and nine of their first 10 games in a season for the first time since 1934.
Detroit’s winning margin of 46 points was the largest in franchise history, and it handed Jacksonville its biggest-ever defeat. The Lions also set a franchise record in total yards with 644.
The Jaguars (2-9) have lost four consecutive games for the second time this season and 14 of 17 since last year, a series of slumps that may cost coach Doug Pederson his job.
Jacksonville rookie Cam Little made a career-best 59-yard field goal on the game-opening drive and closed the first half with another field goal.
In between those kicks, the Lions scored four touchdowns to take a 28-3 lead, and they didn’t take it easy on the Jags after halftime.
Montgomery started the scoring barrage with a 2-yard run and Gibbs followed with a 1-yard run in the second quarter. Montgomery had a 6-yard run for his second score and Goff threw a 27-yard pass to St. Brown in the second quarter, extending the receiver’s franchise record with a touchdown catch to eight straight games.
The Lions didn’t take their foot off the gas in the Motor City, going ahead 49-6 early in the fourth quarter after Goff threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams, a 5-yarder to Brock Wright and a 9-yard strike to St. Brown on the right side of the end zone.
Goff finished 24 of 29 for 412 yards and four touchdowns. He had a perfect passer rating, a week after his career-high five interceptions didn’t stop Detroit from rallying from a 16-point deficit to beat AFC South-leading Houston.
St. Brown (161) and Williams (124) had single-game highs for yards receiving. Montgomery and Gibbs combined for 218 yards of offense.
Hendon Hooker gave Goff a break midway through the fourth and set up Jake Bates’ 54-yard field goal. Detroit ran out the clock in the final minutes, mercifully choosing not to score again.
Detroit’s defense got a boost from newly acquired end Za’Darius Smith, who had a sack in his debut with the franchise.
Jacksonville’s Mac Jones struggled, starting for a second straight week in place of the injured Trevor Lawrence. He was 17 of 29 for 138 yards and was picked off near Detroit’s end zone late in the third quarter, floating a pass that Kerby Joseph took advantage of for his seventh interception this season.
— Larry Lage in Detroit
Minnesota Vikings 23, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
Sam Darnold overcame an early fumble by throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns and running for a score and the Minnesota Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans 23-13 Sunday.
Darnold had been picked off five times over the previous two games, matching his total over the first seven games of the season. Then his toss to Aaron Jones on the Vikings’ third offensive play was fumbled and recovered by Jeffery Simmons for the Titans.
The quarterback answered right back to help the Vikings (8-2) win their third straight and improve to 5-0 against AFC teams this season. He found Jordan Addison for a 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown and the Vikings didn’t trail again as they scored 16 straight for a 16-3 halftime lead.
Andrew Van Ginkel had his two sacks on back-to-back plays as Minnesota finished with five. Pat Jones II also had two. Harrison Smith clinched the win with an interception with 1:50 left, giving the Vikings’ fans who turned this into a near-home game another reason to celebrate by chanting “SKOL.”
The Titans (2-8) lost their second straight and went winless against the NFC North. They sure made it interesting.
Will Levis threw the longest TD pass in the NFL this season with a 98-yard score. He found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on the right sideline for the catch-and-run, pulling the Titans within 16-10 midway through the third.
It was the Titans’ longest pass play since DeAndre Hopkins’ 61-yarder on Oct. 29, 2023, against Atlanta in Levis’ first NFL start. It tied the longest TD pass in franchise history matching Willard Dewveall’s TD catch from Jacky Lee with the then-Houston Oilers on Nov. 25, 1962, against the Chargers.
Levis also had a 51-yard TD pass to Calvin Ridley inside the final minute of the third wiped out by an illegal formation penalty on right tackle Isaiah Prince. They settled for Nick Folk’s second field goal, a 43-yarder.
Down 23-13, they went for it twice on fourth down near midfield. Levis was sacked by Jones on fourth-and-4, and he was forced to throw it away on fourth-and-7 with 2:23 left.
The Titans couldn’t stop hurting themselves with too many penalties. Brian Callahan even drew a couple of flags tossed high in the air as the first-year Titans coach vehemently protested a penalty on safety Mike Brown for a hit on Addison in the end zone.
Darnold easily scored on a 1-yard keeper. Parker Romo’s extra point went off the right upright, but he made up for that with a 40-yard field goal late in the first half.
After Levis’ big play, Darnold padded Minnesota’s lead to 23-10 with a 3-yard toss to Cam Akers late in the third. The Titans just keep hurting themselves. They had nine penalties for 71 yards by halftime. Minnesota didn’t draw its first flag until the Titans already had eight. Tennessee finished with 13 penalties for 91 yards compared to three for 35 yards by the Vikings.
— Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tenn.
Originally Published: November 17, 2024 at 3:28 PM CST
