Rams come up short vs. Lions in OT, 26-20: Instant analysis of Week 1 loss

The Los Angeles Rams were holding their offensive line together with duct tape and super glue but Matthew Stafford reminded everyone in Detroit just how good he is. With a banged-up offensive line and with Puka Nacua sidelined by a knee injury, Stafford put the team on his back and almost led them to a miraculous comeback victory.

At one point in the third quarter, the Rams were trailing 17-3, but that's when Stafford and the offense took over. Stafford marched the Rams down the field in 10 plays, going 80 yards in 4:30 to give the Rams a 20-17 lead late in the fourth quarter. That was all without his starting left guard, right tackle and with a third-stringer at left tackle.

The defense came to play and was outstanding in regulation, forcing a late three-and-out after the Rams' go-ahead touchdown, giving the ball back to the offense once again. Unfortunately, the offense just couldn't put the game away and the defense gave up too many chunk plays late.

The game eventually went into overtime after the Lions tied it with 17 seconds left, going on to win, 26-20, thanks to David Montgomery's 1-yard touchdown.

Final score: Lions 26, Rams 20

Game notes

• Kyren Williams played every snap on the first two drives before Ronnie Rivers came in on the third drive, getting reps before Blake Corum.

• The Rams opened with a pass-heavy script, getting the ball out of Matthew Stafford's hand quickly and efficiently on the first three drives.

• With injuries already a concern, things got even worse for the Rams in the first half. Joe Noteboom had to be carted to the locker room with an ankle injury and Puka Nacua exited in the second quarter with a knee injury. He returned briefly but then exited a second time after a few plays. Steve Avila also suffered a knee injury and was ruled out in the third quarter.

• Stafford threw a bad interception on second-and-goal from the Lions' 8-yard line just before halftime, costing the Rams at least three points in a 10-3 game.

• Jared Verse recorded his first career sack in the first half, bringing down Jared Goff from behind only seconds before halftime. Byron Young also nabbed his first sack on the Lions' opening drive of the game.

• The Rams left six points on the board in the first half. They went for it on fourth-and-short in the second quarter instead of taking the field goal, and then Stafford threw the pick in the end zone to cost them three points, if not more.

• The biggest play of the game for the Rams came from none other than Tyler Johnson. He caught a short pass on a drag route, stopped on a dime and sprinted upfield for a 63-yard gain at the end of the third quarter, setting up the Rams at the 23-yard line.

• In the fourth quarter, the Rams got to the Lions' 1-yard line and had first-and-goal, but they were unable to get into the end zone. A run for no gain was followed by a touchdown nullified by a holding penalty by A.J. Arcuri, pushing the Rams back to the 11. After a 3-yard run, Stafford threw incomplete for Kupp and the Rams had to settle for three points.

• Trailing 17-13 with about 9 minutes to play, Stafford and Kupp put the offense on their back with a 10-play, 80-yard drive to give the Rams a 20-17 lead with only 4:30 to play. Kupp made a ridiculous toe-tapping catch on the sideline for 20 yards and a few plays later, he caught a 9-yard touchdown pass to put the Rams ahead.

• On the ensuing drive, the Lions went three-and-out, highlighted by a near-interception by Cobie Durant. The Lions punted it away, but the Rams were unable to end the game on their next possession, also punting it after burning just 1:59 of game clock.

• The Lions tied the game with 17 seconds left, in part thanks to an 18-yard catch by LaPorta and a 15-yard personal foul by rookie Kamren Kinchens on the game-tying drive.

• In overtime, the Lions won the toss and received the kickoff, marching down the field and scoring a touchdown on a 1-yard run by Montgomery.

It was over when...

... Montgomery punched it into the end zone for a touchdown with 5:19 left in overtime, giving the Lions a six-point win at home. The Rams never touched the ball in overtime after the Lions won the coin toss and received.

3 stars of the game

No. 3: Tyler Johnson – 5 catches, 79 yards

No. 2: Cooper Kupp – 14 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD

No. 1: Matthew Stafford – 34-for-49, 317 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Play of the game

With Nacua out, Johnson stepped in as the third receiver and made the longest play of the night. He caught this short pass and turned it into a 63-yard gain, outrunning several Lions defenders down the middle of the field for a huge gain – with the help of his blocking teammates, of course.

What's next?

The Rams will be on the road once again in Week 2 when they visit the Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff in that game is 4:05 p.m. ET, so it won't be a prime-time matchup and it'll be the Rams' first divisional game of 2024. The Cardinals are coming off a loss to the Bills in the season opener but looked very capable of being a quality team this year, so the Rams will have their work cut out for them.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams come up short vs. Lions in OT, 26-20: Instant analysis of Week 1 loss