INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams faced their biggest deficit in more than two months when they fell 10 points behind Detroit with 30 seconds left in the first half. Even worse, both their offense and their defense felt they were letting each other down.
That’s when Matthew Stafford reminded his sideline that a big comeback must start small.
“Let’s go steal three (points),” Stafford told his teammates before he led a brisk five-play drive for a field goal as time expired.
The Rams rode that momentum into a phenomenal second half on both sides of the ball that ended with Los Angeles officially headed back to the playoffs.
Matthew Stafford passed for 368 yards and hit Colby Parkinson for two touchdowns, and the NFC-leading Rams became the first team to clinch a postseason berth with a 41-34 victory Sunday.
Kyren Williams rushed for two scores and Blake Corum added another TD for the Rams (11-3), who put up 20 consecutive points while seizing control of their eighth victory in nine games.
“When we’re firing on all cylinders … man,” said nose tackle Kobie Turner, who had a key sack of Jared Goff. “You put your foot on the gas, and you leave everybody behind.”
Puka Nacua had nine catches for 181 yards for Los Angeles, which is headed to the playoffs for the third straight year and for the seventh time in coach Sean McVay’s nine seasons.
After throwing his fifth interception of the season in the first half, Stafford ruthlessly led the Rams to victory in the second. He heard chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” from the SoFi Stadium crowd after hitting Parkinson for an 11-yard score with 4:49 to play.
Amon-Ra St. Brown scorched his hometown team for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions for the Lions (8-6), who were held to 125 yards in the second half. Goff passed for 338 yards and three TDs, but Detroit has alternated wins and losses since Week 5, endangering its hopes for a third straight playoff berth.
“We’re resilient,” Goff said. “We really are, and I expect us to bounce back from this, and we still have plenty of stuff in front of us. We’ve got a great group that can win a championship here.”
Jameson Williams caught a 31-yard TD pass and had seven receptions for 134 yards. David Montgomery also scored with 2:42 to play to make it close — but the Rams got a first down to exhaust the Lions’ timeouts, preventing a last-second comeback.
“Third quarter was rough on us,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said. “They got a jump on us that we couldn’t overcome. Nacua had a huge day. We couldn’t slow him down. Stafford played at a really high level, which we knew he would if we couldn’t disrupt him, and more importantly, stop the run. We weren’t able to do that.”
Detroit’s offense dominated the first half, averaging 8.5 yards per play and taking a 24-14 lead shortly before halftime. St. Brown caught a 17-yard touchdown pass set up by Aidan Hutchinson’s 58-yard interception return in the first quarter, and the Orange County native scored again in the second before finishing the first half with nine catches for 127 yards.
But Parkinson caught a 26-yard TD pass late in the third quarter to put the Rams back ahead. His second TD catch in the fourth quarter was his sixth in his past six games, surpassing the veteran tight end’s total TDs in his first 5 1/2 NFL seasons.
Kyren Williams scored on consecutive drives before the first half got away from the Rams. USC product St. Brown scored his second TD on an 8-yard catch before Jameson Williams got open comfortably for his long scoring catch 30 seconds before halftime, sending the Rams to their first double-digit deficit since Week 5.
But after Harrison Mevis made field goals on either side of halftime, Los Angeles reclaimed the lead on Parkinson’s sprawling TD catch in tight coverage.
The Rams forced a punt and went 50 yards in two plays for another score, with Nacua’s 39-yard catch setting up Corum’s TD run.
Wideout losses
Stafford and the Rams controlled the second half even while losing both of their star receivers in the fourth quarter.
Davante Adams injured his hamstring while running a long route with 12:36 to play, and Nacua left due to cramps one snap before Parkinson’s second TD. Nacua returned for the Rams’ final series.
Injuries
Lions: CB Amik Robertson hurt his hand in the second half and didn’t finish the game.
Rams: Adams, the NFL’s leader in TD receptions, has been limited by hamstring injuries twice already this season.
Up next
Lions: Host Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Rams: At Seattle on Thursday for the overall NFC lead.
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