Steven Jackson rushed for 149 yards on 22
carries and scored the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter, as
the St. Louis Rams snapped a franchise-record 17-game skid with a 17-10
victory over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Jackson also caught three passes for 17 yards for the Rams (1-7), who won
their first game since beating the Cowboys on October 19, 2008. Marc Bulger
completed 17-of-35 passes for 176 yards and an interception. Daniel Fells
caught a TD pass on fake field goal for St. Louis, which gave Steve Spagnuolo
his first win as a head coach in the NFL.
Matthew Stafford connected on 14-of-33 passes for 168 yards and an
interception for the Lions (1-6), who have dropped four in a row after winning
their only game of the season on September 27 against Washington. Stafford had
a rushing TD, while Maurice Morris rushed for 63 yards on 14 carries. Kevin
Smith hauled in four passes for 49 yards and rushed for 45 yards on 16 carries
in defeat.
The Lions were without star wide receiver Calvin Johnson for a second straight
game due to a knee injury. They did get Stafford back, though, after he missed
the last two contests with a knee injury.
St. Louis, which was ahead by eight late in the third, was marching down the
field and had the ball in the red zone; however, Bulger was intercepted by
Dewayne White at the 17.
Detroit capitalized with a 10-play scoring drive to tie the game. A 36-yard
catch by Bryant Johnson along the right sideline set the Lions up at the five-
yard-line. Two plays later, Stafford scrambled into the end zone from four
yards out. A successful two-point conversion pass from Stafford to Morris made
it 10-10 with 13:51 remaining in the fourth.
Following a series of punts, the Rams took over on their own 38 with 2:26 to
play. A defensive pass interference call on third down gave St. Louis a first
down at the Lions' 42. Jackson then rushed 17 yards up the middle before
breaking the 25-yard game-winning TD run with 1:38 left.
St. Louis' defense then forced four straight Stafford incompletions to seal
the victory and end the long winless drought.
The Rams put together an 11-play, 57-yard drive on their first possession of
the contest. St. Louis was set up at the Detroit 13, but an offensive holding
call made it 1st-and-20. The Rams sputtered from there and were forced to
settle for a 41-yard Josh Brown field goal for a 3-0 edge with 3:57 left in
the first.
A crazy play led to the Lions' first points of the game. Early in the second,
James Butler picked off a Stafford pass that deflected off the hands of Aaron
Brown. Butler made the interception in the end zone and started to run the
other way before running back into the end zone. Smith was there to make the
tackle, resulting in a safety and two points for Detroit.
St. Louis used some trickery to take a 10-2 lead. The Rams set up for a field
goal on a 4th-and-8 at the Lions 36. The holder took the snap and flipped the
ball to Brown, who passed to an open Fells for a touchdown with 54 seconds
left in the half.
Game Notes
The Lions broke a 19-game losing streak when they beat the Redskins this
year...St. Louis outgained Detroit, 362-289...The Rams lead the all-time
regular season series with the Lions, 42-37-1, including a 41-34 win when the
teams met at the Edward Jones Dome in 2006...Despite the win, the Rams are
6-34 in their last 40 games dating back to 2007...The Lions play at Seattle
next Sunday, while the Rams have a bye week before hosting the Saints on
November 15.
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