Lions rise to the occasion, down Ravens in heavyweight fight

BALTIMORE — Entering a prime-time matchup against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium, the Baltimore Ravens hadn't allowed a touchdown drive of 95 yards or more in their home stadium since 2001.

The Lions had two in a 38-30 win in Baltimore on Monday night.

After a fast-paced, high-flying 52-point outburst against the Chicago Bears a week ago, the Lions won a completely different type of game against Baltimore, but one that featured a classic blend of physicality and creativity all the same. It was a 12-round, heavyweight fight in a place that few opponents can win in the daytime, let alone at night.

The Lions, through a pair of full-field touchdown drives, kept Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson off-balance by sacking him seven times, which marked just the second time in his career that he's been sacked that many times. Al-Quadin Muhammad recorded two.

Running back David Montgomery was a punishing force on the ground, taking 12 carries for two touchdowns and a career-high 151 yards, including a 72-yard rush that helped the Lions reach the end zone to go up 28-21 on a 96-yard drive in the second half.

Quarterback Jared Goff was 20-for-28 passing for 202 yards, a touchdown and a passer rating of 103.6. Jahmyr Gibbs had two rushing touchdowns and Amon-Ra St. Brown added a receiving score. Tight end Sam LaPorta had three third-down catches to help the Lions go 7 for 14 on the night.

Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson had a crucial punch-out on Derrick Henry with the Lions nursing a 4-point, fourth-quarter lead, resulting in Detroit taking 31-24 lead with 6:35 remaining.

The Ravens entered Monday night with a 57-game sack streak, the seventh-longest such streak in NFL history. Goff was kept clean for the second straight game, snapping the Ravens' run.

Making the victory even more impressive is the fact that Detroit wasted several golden opportunities to widen the gap.

The Lions strip-sacked Jackson for a goal-line stand at the end of the first half, but went three-and-out and allowed a tying touchdown, anyway. Lions safety Brian Branch dropped a sure-fire interception in the third quarter, paving the way for another Baltimore touchdown.

And with the chance to take a two-score lead midway through the fourth quarter after Ravens running back Derrick Henry fumbled at his own 22-yard line, a face-mask penalty on offensive guard Christian Mahogany forced Detroit to settle for a field goal and keep it a one-score game, 31-24.

But when it mattered most, the Lions came through. Facing a fourth-and-2 at their own 49 with 1:56 remaining, Goff lofted the ball to St. Brown for a 21-yard completion that all but ended the Ravens' hopes of a comeback. On the very next play, Montgomery ran in a 31-yard touchdown to ice the game.

The Lions opened with the ball and made a statement on their 11-play opening drive. Detroit picked up a third down in Baltimore territory before converting fourth-and-3 in the red zone, leading to a 1-yard touchdown run by Gibbs to go up 7-0.

The Ravens answered with a drive that was even more efficient than Detroit's. Baltimore went 80 yards in six plays as Henry went untouched on a 28-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 7 with 5:40 left in the first quarter.

Both teams exchanged three-and-outs before the Lions embarked on arguably their most impressive drive of the season.

After taking over at its own 2-yard line, the Lions' offense took the ball 98 yards in 18 plays while taking 10:48 off the clock. LaPorta picked up two third-and-longs before Montgomery punched it in from a yard out to give the Lions a 14-7 lead with 5:55 remaining in the first half.

Baltimore got into the red zone quickly on the ensuing drive, returning the kickoff to the Ravens' 49-yard line and picking up a combined 44 yards against the coverage of Terrion Arnold in coverage on back-to-back plays to reach Detroit's 3-yard line.

Lions linebacker Zach Cunningham picked up a tackle-for-loss on third down, and linebacker Jack Campbell strip-sacked Jackson on fourth down with 1:24 left in the half.

But the Lions were stifled on the ensuing possession and gave the ball back to the Ravens after taking just 28 seconds off the clock. Another throw in Arnold's direction resulted in a defensive pass-interference penalty that put the Ravens at Detroit's 3-yard line, and this time, they made good on the threat with a 3-yard touchdown to wide receiver Rashod Bateman, tying the game at 14 with 0:24 left in the half.

Lions kicker Jake Bates missed a 67-yard field goal to close the half.

The Ravens put together a methodical 73-yard scoring drive to open the third quarter. Al-Quadin Muhammad sacked Jackson in the red zone to make it third-and-goal from the 14-yard line, but Jackson delivered a perfect sidearm throw to Mark Andrews for the score to go up 21-14 with 8:51 to go in the third quarter, the Ravens' first lead of the game.

This time, it was the Lions answering quickly after a long defensive series. Detroit went 60 yards in seven plays and just 3 minutes, 38 seconds. Offensive coordinator John Morton pulled out a flea-flicker off of a pitch to David Montgomery, and Goff hit St. Brown for 17 yards. On the very next play, Goff dropped a dime to St. Brown in the corner of the end zone to once again tie the game, 21-21, at 5:13 in the third.

The Lions' defense got a third-quarter stop, but again faced a long field. Montgomery pulled most of the weight with a 72-yard run to get the Lions inside Baltimore's red zone. On fourth-and-1 at the 4-yard line, Goff handed the ball to St. Brown, who pitched it to Gibbs for a 4-yard score to take a 28-21 lead on the opening play of the fourth quarter.

Muhammad and linebacker Trevor Nowaske picked up sacks on the next possession to force a 41-yard field goal by Tyler Loop to maintain a 28-24 lead with 9:40 to go in the game.

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