Goff and Gibbs answer Jets rally in Lions’ 31-24 win

Detroit’s answer came fast

The Jets had just completed their climb from 14 down, but Jared Goff and the Lions answered with the drive that defined Sunday, September 27. Detroit beat New York 31-24 at Ford Field after Goff found Jahmyr Gibbs for the winning 11-yard touchdown with 2:25 left.

New York had tied it 24-24 at 4:06, when a review changed Garrett Wilson’s catch at the 1 into a 23-yard touchdown and Geno Smith completed the two-point conversion. That sequence lifted the Jets’ win probability from 9.9% to 38.6%, the game’s largest swing toward New York.

Detroit did not let the tie linger. On a four-play, 65-yard series that lasted 1:41, Goff hit Isaac TeSlaa for 49 yards to the New York 16, a completion that moved the Lions’ win probability from 66.4% to 79.9%. Goff then found Gibbs on a short throw for the go-ahead score and a 31-24 lead.

The Jets had one final possession, but it ended when Smith was sacked for a 13-yard loss and fumbled at the Detroit 41 with 0:51 remaining. Detroit recovered, and its win probability jumped from 88.9% to 99.9% on the takeaway.

A measured lead became a 14-point edge

The game began with five punts before Detroit finally broke through early in the second quarter on a 30-yard field goal. New York answered with a seven-play, 74-yard drive capped by a 24-yard touchdown pass for a 7-3 lead with 5:33 left in the half.

Goff’s response established the offensive rhythm Detroit would need. The Lions went 53 yards in 12 plays over 3:50, finishing with a 4-yard touchdown pass for a 10-7 halftime lead.

Detroit came out of the break with its sharpest sustained stretch. Gibbs ran 17 yards for a touchdown to finish a seven-play, 80-yard opening drive, and after New York made it 17-10 on a 42-yard field goal, Detroit consumed 6:19 on a 13-play, 62-yard march. Gibbs’ 1-yard touchdown made it 24-10 with 14:57 left in the fourth.

New York’s first fourth-quarter answer was impressive but incomplete: Smith led a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, only for the two-point pass to Wilson to fall incomplete. Detroit then turned it over on downs, giving the Jets the field position and opening they used to force the tie.

Passing efficiency carried Detroit

Detroit generated 400 passing and rushing yards on 63 plays, and its 0.21 EPA per play explains why its scoring drives kept arriving. EPA, or expected points added, measures how much a play improves a team’s expected scoring outlook; Detroit’s passing game produced 0.42 EPA per play, compared with 0.23 for New York.

The Lions also posted a 60% success rate, meaning 60% of their plays had positive EPA, while the Jets were at 53%. Goff completed 25 of 32 for 269 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, repeatedly giving Detroit efficient answers even as its rushing EPA per play was -0.04.

Gibbs supplied the finishing work with 20 carries for 99 yards and two rushing touchdowns, then caught the decisive touchdown. TeSlaa had only three receptions, but his 66 yards included the 49-yard strike that set up the last score.

Smith completed 31 of 37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns, with Wilson collecting 10 catches for 107 yards and the reviewed tying touchdown. But New York managed just 58 rushing yards, posted -0.22 rushing EPA per play, and allowed five sacks; the final one produced its only turnover.

Next

Detroit is 2-1 and travels to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 4. The Jets are 1-2 and travel to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday, October 4.