Detroit Lions ride trio of turnovers to big lead, fend off fourth-quarter rally to bounce pesky Cincinnati Bengals

(Getty Images)

Cincinnati — The Bengals came into Sunday’s game with the Detroit Lions, struggling to score and to prevent opponents from scoring against them. The Lions made sure those trends continued, at least until the closing stages of the contest, jumping out to a 25-point, second-half lead and hanging on for a 37-24 victory at Paycor Stadium.

Detroit opened the game with a touchdown drive and never looked back, riding a turnover-happy defense that picked Cincinnati quarterback Jake Browning three times.

Amik Robertson got the turnover parade going. Starting in place of the injured DJ Reed, Robertson secured his first pick since signing with the Lions in 2024. Kerby Joseph and Alex Anzalone added interceptions later in the contest, with the Lions converting the trio of takeaways into 14 points.

Detroit opened up a massive lead in the second half, but the Bengals managed to cut the deficit to 11 with a pair of touchdown passes from Browning to star receiver Ja’Marr Chase. However, the Lions were able to put the game away with a 12-yard touchdown connection between Jared Goff and Isaac TeSlaa.

With the victory, the Lions moved to 4-1 on the year. It marked the third straight loss for the Bengals, who dropped to 2-3.

Scoring summary

First quarter

● 10:50 — Taking the opening kickoff, the Lions sliced through the Bengals defense, not facing a single third down on a seven-play, 58-yard march. Tight end Sam LaPorta provided more than half of the damage, catching two passes for 32 yards, including a 16-yard, catch-and-run touchdown where he flipped into the end zone after taking a hit just shy of the goal line. LIONS 7, BENGALS 0

Second quarter

● 12:16 — Inheriting possessing in the red zone following a takeaway, the Lions needed five plays to find the end zone. On second-and-goal from the 3-yard line, David Montgomery took a direct snap, took two steps toward the line of scrimmage before flipping it over the top of the defense for a short scoring toss to tight end Brock Wright. LIONS 14, BENGALS 0

● 0:00 — Getting the ball with a little more than three minutes remaining in the half, Browning went to work with a combination of accurate throws and short runs, setting up a 50-yard field goal as time expired to get the Bengals on the board. LIONS 14, BENGALS 3

Third quarter

● 11:25 — Following a holding infraction in the red zone, the Lions faced second-and-15 from the 20-yard line. Offensive coordinator John Morton responded with a screen call to Jahmyr Gibbs, who lined up wide on the snap. Picking up blocks from TeSlaa, LaPorta and Christian Mahogany, Gibbs got hit a few yards shy of the goal line and powered his way into the end zone to extend Detroit’s lead to three scores. LIONS 21, BENGALS 3

● 5:43 — The drive started with a 39-yard pass to LaPorta, who leaked into the right flat after initially blocking on the play-action design. Montgomery did the rest, twice bouncing sharply to his left, first for a gain of 19 yards, before getting the edge again on an 8-yard touchdown run. LIONS 28, BENGALS 3

Fourth quarter

● 14:51 — Flushed from the pocket on the first snap of the final quarter, Browning rolled to his right and found Chase for a toe-tapping touchdown along the sideline to that side for a 15-yard touchdown. LIONS 28, BENGALS 10

● 10:22 — After the Bengals forced a three-and-out, Browning found Chase wide open behind Detroit’s injury-depleted defense after Robertson bit on a double-move, resulting in a 64-yard touchdown that cut Detroit’s lead to 11. LIONS 28, BENGALS 17

● 5:14 — Needing to slow the bleeding, the Lions responded with an eight-play, 68-yard touchdown drive. They opened with back-to-back throws to Amon-Ra St. Brown for 33 yards, before five consecutive handoffs, with the first four going to Montgomery. That set up a play-action touchdown toss to TeSlaa, the rookie’s first score since the opener. LIONS 35, BENGALS 17

● 3:01 — The pesky Bengals continued to fight until the bitter end, driving 63 yards in a little more than two minutes. Browning completed four-of-five for 48 yards to open the drive, then scrambled for another 13 to set up first-and-goal at the 2. Two snaps later, the quarterback connected with Tee Higgins to briefly keep the home team’s comeback hopes afloat. LIONS 35, BENGALS 24

● 1:49 — Pinned at their own 7-yard line, Derrick Barnes blasted past the left guard on a blitz to drop Browning in the end zone for a safety. LIONS 37, BENGALS 24

Turnovers

● After moving across midfield with their second possession of the game, left tackle Giovanni Manu was beaten around the outside by Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who knocked the ball free from Goff’s grasp. Linebacker Logan Wilson recovered the fumble, ending the Lions’ scoring threat.

● Following a punt that pinned the Bengals in the shadow of their own goal line, Robertson snagged an errant throw intended for Chase. It was Robertson’s first interception in his 22nd game as a Lion.

● On a severely underthrown deep ball intended for Chase, Terrion Arnold was in position for his first interception, only for teammate Kerby Joseph to swoop through for his third of the season.

● Taking advantage of another poor throw by Browning on the opening drive of the second half, Alex Anzalone easily intercepted the Bengals quarterback for the linebacker’s first pick since 2022.

Injuries

● During a punt play in the second quarter, Kalif Raymond stumbled after bumping into teammate Grant Stuard, causing the return man to run headfirst into Bengals running back Samaje Perine. After a lengthy evaluation in the sideline medical tent, Raymond was taken to the locker room with a neck injury.

● Arnold exited in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury. It’s unclear if it’s the same shoulder that knocked him out of last week’s game against the Browns.

Key stats

● Goff was highly efficient, completing 19-of-23 for 258 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, adding up to a 153.0 quarterback rating.

● The Bengals made the Lions work on the ground, holding them to 4.0 yards per carry on 30 attempts. Montgomery led the way with 64 yards and a touchdown on 18 totes.

● St. Brown finished with 100 yards on eight catches while LaPorta chipped in a season-best 92 yards and a touchdown on five grabs.

● As usual, Jack Campbell paced the Lions with 11 tackles, while Aidan Hutchinson and Derrick Barnes recorded sacks.

Notable

● For the first time this season, the Lions defense didn’t give up a touchdown on the opponent’s first possession. They didn’t even allow points, forcing the Bengals to punt, despite committing two penalties during the series.

● Hendrickson’s forced fumble in the opening quarter also snapped Detroit’s streak of not allowing a sack at three games.

● Dominic Lovett stepped into the punt return role when Raymond exited with an injury.

● Hutchinson had two additional sacks, one in the end zone, wiped out by penalties. The edge rusher was flagged for being offside on the first, while Arnold got popped for holding Chase, which negated the safety.

Inactives

Before the game, the Lions scratched offensive tackle Taylor Decker, linebacker Zach Cunningham, cornerback Khalil Dorsey, running back Sione Vaki, offensive lineman Kingsley Eguakun, defensive tackle Chris Smith and defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo.

Cunningham, Dorsey and Vaki were ruled out on Friday, while Decker was downgraded to doubtful hours before kickoff due to a shoulder injury. Eguakun, Smith and Wingo were healthy scratches.

Next game

The Lions head back on the road for a primetime tilt with the Chiefs in Kansas City, next Sunday, at 8:20 p.m.