Lions hold off Jets 31-24 as Jahmyr Gibbs scores three touchdowns
Jahmyr Gibbs scored three touchdowns as the Detroit Lions held off a fourth quarter rally by the New York Jets, winning 31-24 at Ford Field.
Gibbs takes over in Detroit
The Detroit Lions beat the New York Jets 31-24 on Sunday at Ford Field, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs was the reason why. Gibbs finished with 20 carries for 99 yards and two rushing touchdowns, then added the go ahead score through the air, an 11 yard reception from Jared Goff with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter.
Detroit trailed 0-3 early after a Jake Bates field goal, then let the Jets grab a 7-3 lead when Kenyon Sadiq caught a touchdown pass from Geno Smith. Amon-Ra St. Brown answered with a touchdown catch late in the second quarter to put Detroit up 10-7 at halftime. Jason Sanders added a field goal for New York in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 17-10 before Detroit pulled away.
Gibbs opened the second half scoring with a 17 yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, then punched in a 1 yard score to open the fourth. Coach Dan Campbell credited the second half shift to getting Gibbs going.
Goff finished 25 of 32 for 269 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. Goff called Gibbs so explosive and nifty with the ball in his hands.
Jets rally falls short
New York trailed by 14 points in the fourth quarter but did not fold. Geno Smith threw a 4 yard touchdown to Jeremy Ruckert, then a 23 yard scoring pass to Garrett Wilson, capped by a two point conversion pass to Sterling Shepard that tied the game at 24.
Smith finished 31 of 37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Garrett Wilson caught 10 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game on the final offensive snap to be evaluated for a head injury.
The tie did not last. Gibbs caught the go ahead touchdown pass from Goff, and on New York's answer, safety Chuck Clark sacked Smith and forced a fumble at the Detroit 28 yard line to end the threat. Smith said the Jets have a lot of good players and need to finish games.
By the numbers
Detroit outgained New York 381 yards to 335, and out rushed the Jets 131 yards to 58. The Lions did not turn the ball over, while the Jets lost one. Detroit picked up 24 first downs to New York's 22, and both teams were flagged four times, Detroit for 41 yards and New York for 30.
Detroit safety Christian Izien led all players with 11 tackles, and linebacker DJ Wonnum had two sacks for the Lions. Jets linebacker Demario Davis led New York with 10 tackles and one sack. Detroit improved to 2-1 overall and 2-0 at home, while New York fell to 1-2 overall and 1-1 on the road.
Injury report
Detroit was without tight end Tyler Conklin, linebacker Devin White and defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo, all out by coach's decision. New York listed running back Breece Hall as questionable with a thigh injury and guard Dylan Parham as questionable with a knee injury, while cornerback Nahshon Wright was out by coach's decision. Hall carried 13 times for 32 yards despite appearing on the injury report.
Facts per ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.