Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes and the visiting Detroit Lions held off the New Orleans Saints 33-28 on Sunday afternoon.
Goff completed 16 of 25 passes for 213 yards and Sam LaPorta caught nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown for the Lions (9-3), who jumped to a 21-0 lead midway the first quarter and led the rest of the way.
Derek Carr passed for 226 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Saints (5-7), who lost their third straight. Carr left the game midway through the fourth quarter with shoulder and back injuries in addition to entering concussion protocol.
Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston shared the remaining quarterback snaps. Chris Olave had five catches for 119 yards.
The Saints received the second-half kickoff and drove 75 yards to Alvin Kamara’s 2-yard touchdown run that got them within 24-14.
Their next possession ended with Hill running 1 yard for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 24-21.
Detroit responded with Riley Patterson’s 32-yard field goal, increasing the lead to 27-21 with eight seconds left in the third quarter.
On the first play of the fourth, Carr fumbled a snap and Josh Paschal recovered for Detroit at the New Orleans 26. Two plays later, Jameson Williams ran 19 yards for a touchdown and a 33-21 lead.
Carr left the game during the next possession, which ended with Kamara’s 1-yard touchdown run and pulled the Saints within 33-28.
The Lions received the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards to David Montgomery’s 2-yard touchdown run.
On the Saints’ first play from scrimmage, Carr’s pass bounced off of Juwan Johnson’s hands and Brian Branch in intercepted and returned to the New Orleans 17.
Three plays later, Goff threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to LaPorta for a 14-0 lead.
Detroit’s next possession ended with Goff’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown and a 21-0 lead that held up through the end of the quarter.
Carr threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham to trim the lead to 21-7 with about nine minutes left in the second quarter.
Patterson’s 26-yard field goal increased the lead to 24-7 at halftime.
–Field Level Media