The Detroit Lions beat the New York Jets 31-24 on Sunday at Ford Field, and Jahmyr Gibbs decided it. He scored 3 touchdowns, the last an 11-yard catch from Jared Goff right after New York had tied the game.
Gibbs was the sharp end of a Detroit offense that won on the ground. The Lions ran for 131 yards, more than double the Jets' 58, and finished 4 of 5 in the red zone.
How It Happened
Neither team scored in the first quarter. Jake Bates opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal midway through the second. Geno Smith answered with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kenyon Sadiq for New York's first lead.
Detroit took it right back before the break. Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown from 4 yards out, and the Lions went into halftime ahead by a field goal.
Gibbs took over in the third quarter with a 17-yard touchdown run. Jason Sanders cut into the lead with a 42-yard field goal, but Gibbs punched in a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter. That pushed Detroit to a 24-10 lead.
The Jets did not fold. Smith found Jeremy Ruckert for a 4-yard score, though the two-point pass failed. He then hit Garrett Wilson for a 23-yard touchdown and connected with Sterling Shepard on the two-point try, tying it at 24.
Detroit answered. Goff found Gibbs for 11 yards, Bates added the kick, and New York never got even again.
Key Performers
Jahmyr Gibbs: 3 TD – 17-yard rush, 1-yard rush, 11-yard reception
Jared Goff: 2 TD passes – Amon-Ra St. Brown (4 YDS), Jahmyr Gibbs (11 YDS)
Geno Smith: 3 TD passes – Kenyon Sadiq (24 YDS), Jeremy Ruckert (4 YDS), Garrett Wilson (23 YDS); two-point pass to Sterling Shepard
Lions rushing: 30 ATT, 131 YDS, 4.4 per carry
Jets rushing: 19 ATT, 58 YDS, 3.1 per carry
Lions passing: 25-32, 250 net YDS, 2 sacks for 19 YDS lost
Jets passing: 31-37, 277 net YDS, 5 sacks for 44 YDS lost
Smith's 3 touchdown passes kept New York alive, and the Jets threw no interceptions. New York was also sacked 5 times, giving back 44 yards.
What It Means
Both teams had 9 drives. The Lions played clean, with no turnovers against the Jets' lost fumble.
Detroit moves to 2-1, and the split tells the story so far. The Lions are 2-0 at Ford Field and 0-1 away from it. Protecting home games while figuring out the road is a workable formula early in the season.
New York falls to 1-2. The Jets are 1-1 on the road and 0-1 at home, so their only win has come away from their own building. Sunday showed they can score on the road.
The Jets erased a two-touchdown fourth-quarter hole and still lost. That comeback is worth something, but it does not show up in the standings.