Detroit Lions shock the Los Angeles Chargers for first win

The Detroit Lions needed to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers in their home opener to avoid a disappointing 0-1-1 start. Did Motown do enough to win?

The Detroit Lions posted a disappointing tie in their regular-season opener on the road against the Arizona Cardinals in Week One. The Lions had a commanding 24-6 lead to start the fourth quarter but allowed the lowly Cardinals to send the game into overtime.

Detroit was hoping to bounce back in their home opener against the 1-0 Los Angeles Chargers at Ford Field on Sunday. And although it took some last-minute heroics by cornerback Darius Slay, the Lions withstood the hard-charging Chargers late in the fourth quarter to win the game, 13-10.

This wasn’t a pretty offensive performance by the Lions, who were able to put up 27 points against the Cardinals in Week One. Against the Chargers, quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 22 of his 30 pass attempts for 245 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Running back Kerryon Johnson carried the ball just 12 times, rushing for 41 yards while averaging 3.4 yards per carry. Rookie runner Ty Johnson had five carries for 30 yards. While power back C.J. Anderson struggled to get eight yards on five rushing attempts.

The offensive star for Detroit was undoubtedly wide receiver Kenny Golladay. The third-year wideout brought in eight of his 10 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown. Rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson would record just one catch for seven yards after his awesome debut (6 recs, 131 yards, 1 TD) in Week One.

On defense, the star was undoubtedly cornerback Darius Slay. Big Play Slay’s interception in the Chargers’ endzone all but sealed the victory for the Motor City. The two-time Pro Bowl defender also recorded five solo tackles and had two pass defends. Second-year safety Tracy Walker led the Lions with a total of 10 tackles.

Next up for the 1-0-1 Detroit Lions, the Pride will head back on the road to Lincoln Financial Field to face the Philadelphia Eagles at home. That game is scheduled for Sunday, September 22nd with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m. EDT.