A productive Goff propels Detroit over the Jaguars
DETROIT >> The Detroit Lions were so dominant on offense that they didn’t punt.
Detroit’s defense was pretty good, too.
Jamaal Williams ran for his 14th touchdown early in the first quarter to help the Lions get off to a strong start and they did not slow down in a 40-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
“This was a big win for us because I feel like this is the game that can catapult us through December,” coach Dan Campbell said.
The Lions (5-7) scored on all five of their drives in the first half to take a 17-point lead, and their first three possessions of the second half to pull away.
“That was as complete a team win as I’ve ever been part of,” quarterback Jared Goff said.
The Jaguars (4-8) had a scare on the last play of the second
quarter when quarterback Trevor Lawrence was sacked and grabbed his left knee, but their defense made his return moot.
Lawrence, coming off the best performance of his two-year career, was 17 of 31 for 179 yards with a touchdown for an offense that was just 3 of 12 on third down. He was taken out late in the fourth quarter with his team trailing by 26 points.
“It was an ugly day for us, for sure,” Lawrence said. “It’s just embarrassing for us for what we put out there.”
Goff, meanwhile, had one of his best games by completing 31 of 41 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
“Our quarterback played as good as you can play,” Campbell said.
Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns while Williams and D’Andre Swift combined for 97 yards rushing and two scores for the Lions.
Jacksonville’s Travis Etienne, who was limited to 54 yards rushing, lost a fumble early in the game and Williams scored on a 1-yard touchdown run seven snaps later.
Detroit is unlikely to catch the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings, but is still in the playoff race as a wild-card contender.
“It feels good to have that as a whisper because you know what this team and this city have been through,” said receiver DJ Chark, who set season highs with five catches for 98 yards.