Despite heat, Lions continue to Kerryon
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Lions clustered on the bench under shade canopies Sunday, keeping their cool in the South Florida heat. And when they stepped onto the field and into the subtropical sunshine, they ran all over the Dolphins.
Unfazed by the weather, Kerryon Johnson rushed for 158 yards and the Lions netted 248 on the ground, their highest total in 21 years, to win 32-21.
Matthew Stafford was 18-for22 for 217 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions had 457 total yards and mounted scoring drives of 64, 85, 75, 65, 75, 63 and 44 yards.
“We’re playing a team, not the weather,” Stafford said. “Our guys up front dominated, and our backs were awesome. It was good to go out there and play at a high level against a good team.”
The Lions (3-3) punted once and had no turnovers to win on the road for the first time. They’ve climbed back to .500 after being outscored 78-44 in their first two games.
The injury-ravaged Dolphins (4-3) lost at home for the first time this season — and lost another key player. Dynamic receiver Albert Wilson left the game in the first half with a leg injury.
Receiver Kenny Stills also limped to the locker room with a minute left.
The Lions, meanwhile, held up well in the 88-degree sunshine. Johnson, an Alabama native, said the heat didn’t bother him at all.
“This is the same stuff I’ve been doing since I was a little boy,” he said. “I’ve been up in Detroit freezing my tail off. To finally get to play in the sun and heat and humidity, I was loving it.”
Johnson carried 19 times and needed barely a quarter to reach 100 yards. The rookie ran for 24 yards on the Lions’ first play and found a gaping hole on a draw for a 71-yard gain, the Lions’ longest running play since 2011, to set up a field goal.
“Basically, they could do whatever they wanted on that side of the ball,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said.
The Lions averaged 7.1 yards per rush. Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake was surprised how many yards rushing his team allowed.
“A lot has to go wrong for that to happen,” he said.
Brock Osweiler threw for 239 yards for the Dolphins, and after falling behind 20-7, they tried to rally with Kenyan Drake’s 54-yard touchdown run and Danny Amendola’s 24-yard scoring reception.
But Matt Prater’s 50-yard field goal — his fourth — with 1:55 left sealed the victory.