The Cleveland Browns hadn't seen a run game like the Detroit Lions'. The Lions hadn't seen a defensive front like the Browns'. When the game clock hit zero, it was offensive coordinator John Morton and his run game that walked away victorious.
It wasn't pretty by any stretch, but in a battle against one of the best offenses and one of the best defenses, the Lions won 34-10. The Lions' run game was one of the biggest reasons why.
Entering Sunday, the Browns' defense led all of football in rushing yards allowed per game with 57.3 yards. Despite holding elite rushers below that mark all season, Morton expressed confidence days earlier, saying that the Browns hadn't "seen a run game like ours yet." That quote went viral, and elicited a response from Browns' pass rusher Myles Garret, who responded saying the Lions hadn't "seen a defensive front like ours yet."
The Lions scratched and clawed their way to 109 rushing yards, with running back Jahmyr Gibbs leading the way with 91 rushing yards and a touchdown run. In Gibbs' 15 rushes, he averaged 6.1 yards with a long rush of 24. Gibbs also added six yards on two receptions. RB David Montgomery had a quieter game, only amassing 12 yards in his nine rushes.
Normally, this would feel like an underwhelming game out of the Lions' historic run game, but when going up against a team that had allowed only 172 rushing yards total coming into Sunday, 109 rush yards is fantastic. It shows how great the Lions' run game can be, even when going up against an elite run defense.
Sonic starts us off 🙌#CLEvsDET 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/ld4JhgnJyT
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 28, 2025
Browns defense still gave the Lions problems
The Lions may have ultimately won the battle everyone was watching, but the Browns' defense still showed up. Lions' quarterback Jared Goff had a rough outing, connecting on 59.26% of his passes despite entering the game as the league leader in that statistic. Garrett and the Browns' pass rush forced Goff into difficult throws, which included a second-half interception.
Goff's box score stats would've looked better had it not been for frustrating drops, especially from wide receiver Jameson Williams, but it's a performance that a victory should mask. Goff still managed two TD passes, both to WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, and finished with 168 yards passing. On the plus side, the Lions' offensive line did not give up a sack for the third consecutive game.
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The Browns' defense did all they could to slow down the Lions' offense, but their own offense didn't do them any favors. The Lions' pass rush got to Joe Flacco three times for sacks, including a forced fumble. Flacco also threw two INTs across his 34 attempts, walking away with a 47.1% completion percentage. This is the Lions' first victory over Flacco after three previous losses.
17 of the Lions' points were off turnovers, with another score tacked on with Kalif Raymond's 65-yard punt return TD. The defense and special teams gave the Lions' offense enough to work with, making what felt like a really close game into a 24-point blowout.
What mattered in the end was the win, which could come into play with tiebreakers, as the Browns had already beaten the Green Bay Packers. The Lions move to 3-1, and up next, they're on to Cincinnati.