The Rams lost to the Lions, 31-28, on Sunday in a back-and-forth game in which Case Keenum completed 27 of his 32 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns -- he also rushed for a score of his own -- before throwing an interception to end the game.
Scoring summary:
FIRST QUARTER
- Lion WR Marvin Jones catches a 7-yard pass from Matthew Stafford for a TD (Lions 7, Rams 0)
- Rams WR Kenny Britt catches a 20-yard pass from Case Keenum for a TD (Rams 7, Lions 7)
SECOND QUARTER
- Rams QB Case Keenum runs one-yard for a TD (Rams 14, Lions 7)
- Lions WR Andre Roberts catches a two-yard pass from Stafford for a TD (Rams 14, Lions 14)
THIRD QUARTER
- Lions WR Anquan Boldin catches a four-yard pass for a TD (Lions 21, Rams 14)
- Rams TE Lance Kendricks catches a 15-yard pass for a TD (Rams 21, Lions 21)
FOURTH QUARTER
- Rams WR Kenny Britt scores a TD on a nine-yard catch-and-run (Rams 28, Lions 21)
- Lions WR Golden Tate scores a TD on a 23-yard catch-and-ran (Rams 28, Lions 28)
- Lions K Matt Prater makes 34-yard field goal (Lions 31, Rams 28)
Case Keenum plays his best, but the Rams lose to Lions, 31-28
Case Keenum played his best game of the season on Sunday, but it was not enough.
The Lions’ Matt Prater kicked a late field goal. And Keenum’s pass with just over a minute left was intercepted by Detroit Lions safety Rafael Bush, sealing a 31-28 victory over the Rams at Ford Field.
Keenum completed 27 of 32 passes for a career-best 321 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown, but the Rams are 3-3 after their second consecutive loss.
The defeat offset a big day by Keenum and receiver Kenny Britt, who caught seven passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 23 of 31 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns as the Lions evened their record at 3-3 with their second straight victory.
The score was 14-14 at halftime after the Lions stopped Todd Gurley short of the goal line on a fourth-and-one play as time expired.
Stafford connected with Golden Tate for a 61-yard gain to set up a short touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin to take the lead. But Kenny Britt’s acrobatic 47-yard reception for the Rams set up a Keenum touchdown pass to tight end Lance Kendricks to tie the score.
Britt put the Rams ahead, 28-21, early in the fourth quarter when he caught a slant pass from Keenum and broke three tackles for a nine-yard touchdown.
The Lions tied the score on Stafford’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate, then forced the Rams to go three and out, setting the stage for Prater’s 34-yard field goal.
Bush then intercepted a pass by Keenum to seal the victory.
Stafford led the Lions on an eight-play scoring drive to start the game, and finished it with a short touchdown pass to Marvin Jones for 7-0 lead.
Keenum came on and connected with Tavon Austin, Brian Quick and Britt on four completions before hitting Britt for a 20-yard touchdown to tie the score.
The Rams took the lead early in the second quarter behind Keenum, who completed passes to Bradley Marquez, Benny Cunningham and Gurley before capping the drive with a one-yard keeper.
The Lions came back with a 14-play drive that took nearly eight minutes. Stafford made several impressive throws, including a two-yard strike to receiver Andre Roberts, who out-muscled cornerback E.J. Gaines in the end zone.
The Rams got the ball with about three minutes left in the half and took advantage of two Lions penalties to move to the nine-yard line.
But Austin was stopped for a six-yard loss. Keenum passed to Gurley and Britt to move the Rams to the one.
The Rams went for it on fourth down, but Gurley was stuffed short of the end zone, ending the half.
Keenum intercepted to end the game in a Rams loss
Rams quarterback Case Keenum certainly went cold after his hot passing streak.
With 1:29 left in the fourth quarter, his first pass to Brian Quick was batted into the air at the line. But Quick was still able to make the catch for a four-yard gain.
On the next play, Keenum looked deep for tight end Lance Kendricks, who was surrounded by Honolulu blue. The ball was caught, but not by the Rams. Instead it was safety Rafael Bush intercepting Keenum’s pass and setting up the victory formation for the Lions in Detroit.
The Lions defeated the Rams, 31-28. L.A. heads to London next to play the New York Giants.
Lions lead Rams, 31-28, with 1:29 left in fourth quarter
With the clock ticking away the final minutes of the game, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford pecked away at the Rams defense.
A seven-yard pass to Anquan Boldin stayed inbounds and set up a two-yard run by Zach Renner. On third and one, the Lions again converted, this time with an 11-yard pass to Boldin.
Then a couple of Zenner runs for seven and eight yards brought up the two-minute warning.
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald sacked Stafford for a five-yard loss coming out of the two-minute warning.
Stafford then targeted Golden Tate with his next two throws, of two and 12 yards, setting up a crucial fourth and one. Detroit tried a hard count to draw L.A. offside but failed, and ultimately settled for a 34-yard go-ahead field goal by Matt Prater.
The Lions lead the Rams with 1:29 left in the fourth quarter. During the Lions’ last possession Coach Jeff Fisher burned all three of his timeouts.
Keenum’s passing streak ends, Rams go three-and-out
All tied up in the fourth quarter, and the Rams got the ball back with Case Keenum having completed 19 straight passes.
His first throw of the series, batted down. Streak over.
Now that that’s out of the way, the Rams gave the ball to Gurley, who gained five yards up the middle of the Lions’ defense.
On third down, Keenum targeted Kenny Britt on the outside just short of the first down marker, but saw his second pass of the drive broken up by cornerback Darius Slay Jr.
Johnny Hekker’s second punt of the game went 40 yards and was returned by Lions receiver Andre Roberts four yards to the Detroit 35.
The Rams and Lions are tied, 28-28, with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter.
Rams and Lions tied, 28-28, following a 23-yard score by Golden Tate
Just when the Rams might have felt like they had the Lions cornered on a third down, Detroit continues to find ways out.
Matthew Stafford had two incomplete passes to open the Lions’ first drive of the fourth quarter, before the Rams helped him out by going offsides and giving him a free play.
This time, he couldn’t do anything with it, but Detroit converted the shorter third down with an 11-yard toss to Andre Roberts.
The Lions stepped on their own foot with an offensive holding penalty on the next play to make it second and 20, but running back Zach Zenner made up most of the difference with a 19-yard run.
But the Rams just couldn’t stop the Lions on third down.
Third and one: A 13-yard pass to Golden Tate results in a first.
Third and 12: A pass interference call on safety Maurice Alexander gives Detroit new life in L.A. territory.
Third and four: Stafford keeps the ball and runs five yards.
Eventually, Stafford capped the drive with a short pass to Golden Tate, who was cutting in toward the middle of the field. The receiver bounced outside and with help from a block from Anquan Boldin finished the play 23 yards later with the game-tying score.
The Rams and Lions are tied with 6:09 left in the fourth quarter.
Kenny Britt bounces into the end zone to give the Rams a 28-21 lead over the Lions
Kenny Britt is not an easy receiver to take down.
Britt caught a short pass from Case Keenum and bounced in and out of tackles nine yards to the end zone to give the Rams a 28-21 lead over the Lions early in the fourth quarter.
Keenum completed all five of his passing attempts on the Rams’ 80-yard scoring drive, including tosses of 13, 19 and 12 yards to receivers Brian Quick, Britt and Tavon Austin, respectively.
The Rams’ scoring drive also featured eight-yard runs by running backs Benny Cunningham and and Todd Gurley.
The Rams lead the Lions, 28-21, with 14:09 left in the fourth quarter.
Lions go three-and-out, L.A. and Detroit tied, 21-21, in third quarter
It’s been a while since the Rams stopped a Lions drive.
But the wait ended with cornerback Lamarcus Joyner diving to break up a sidearm throw from Matthew Stafford intended for Marvin Jones on third and nine.
The Rams stuffed Zach Zenner on first down to open the drive, but allowed the running back to make a catch for a four-yard gain on the next play. An incomplete pass brought up third down and Joyner ended the wait with his pass breakup.
The Rams and Lions are tied with 5:07 left in the quarter.
Rams tight end Lance Kendricks ties it up, 21-21
The Lions aren’t the only ones who can make big plays in this game.
On the first play of the drive, Case Keenum unleashed a deep 47-yard pass to Kenny Britt, who made a one-handed catch while being blanketed by Lions cornerback Johnson Bademosi.
Lions Coach Jim Caldwell didn’t like the look of the play and challenged. Officials sided with Britt, ruling he made the reception.
Keenum connected with tight end Lance Kendricks on the next play for a four-yard gain and then kept the ball on a quarterback keeper that appeared to be a miscommunication between him and running back Todd Gurley for another four yards.
On third down and two, Gurley caught a five-yard pass to keep the drive alive and eventually set up a 15-yard touchdown pass to Kendricks, who broke left over the defender and caught the ball just inside the boundary.
Anquan Boldin scores to give the Lions a 21-14 lead over the Rams
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is not one to waste free plays.
On third and 12, defensive tackle Aaron Donald jumped offside giving, Stafford free rein to look for the big play. He found it with receiver Golden Tate lurking behind the cornerback. Tate made the grab, made a pair of cuts inside then outside and then rolled untouched into the end zone for a 62-yard score — until officials reviewed the play.
Turns out, Troy Hill saved the touchdown with his hands on the shoelaces of Tate as the receiver rolled on the ground toward the end zone. So it only resulted in a 61-yard gain.
Donald was lined up in the middle on the play because of an injury to nose tackle Michael Brockers, who left the field under his own power.
But Hill’s stop was short-lived. Stafford connected with Anquan Boldin two plays later for the go-ahead touchdown.
The Lions lead the Rams, 21-14, with 9:52 left in the third quarter.
Penalties doom Rams’ first possession of the third quarter
Penalties, penalties, penalties.
The Rams saw a return by running back Benny Cunninghma erased by an offensive holding call, which put them on their own 10 yardline.
Then a pair of false starts by receiver Tavon Austin and left tackle Greg Robinson cost the Rams another 10 yards, which was too much to overcome out of halftime.
But, it did lead to Johnny Hekker’s first punt of the day, a 54-yard boot to the Lions’ 40 yard line, which was fair caught.
That probably wasn’t the way they envisioned their first possession going in the locker room.
The Rams and Lions are tied, 14-14, with 12:07 left in the third quarter.
Rams vs. Lions: First half stats
PASSING
Rams:
Case Keenum - 15-of-17 passing for 179 yards with one touchdown
Lions:
Matthew Stafford - 12-of-16 passing for two touchdowns
RUSHING
Rams:
Todd Gurley - 8 carries for 43 yards (15 long)
Case Keenum - 2 carries for three yards (2 long) with one touchdown
Lions:
Zach Zenner - 7 carries for 31 yards (9 long)
Justin Forsett - 2 carries for eight yards (9 long)
RECEIVING
Rams:
Kenny Britt - 4 catches for 74 yards with one touchdown (43 long)
Todd Gurley - 3 catches for 34 yards (13 long)
Lions:
Golden Tate - 3 catches for 54 yards (34 long)
Anquan Boldin - 5 catches for 38 yards (15 long)
Gurley gets stuffed on final play of first half; Rams and Lions tied 14-14 at halftime
Case Keenum’s ball came out wobbly and underthrown. Still, it resulted in a first down and goal situation for the Rams.
The Rams quarterback had just completed a 43-yard strike to Kenny Britt with less than two minutes left in the first half against the Lions.
Luckily, on that bad throw he was bailed out by a pair of penalties on the Lions. Defensive tackle Khyri Thornton was flagged for being offside, but the real help came from cornerback Nevin Lawson, who was spotted pulling on Austin as the receiver tried to get back to the underthrown pass. Pass interference.
The Lions nearly made up for the error on the next play, forcing Keenum to fumble the ball, only the Rams were able to recover it on the 19-yard line after a 10-yard loss.
So of course, on the next play Keenum again looked deep, threading the ball through a series of defenders to Austin, but the receiver was hit and unable to corral the ball.
However, the hit was deemed too much and safety Glover Quin was flagged for unnecessary roughness.
The Rams lost six yards on an Austin carry and then got eight back on a reception from Todd Gurley. Facing third and goal from the seven-yard line, Keenum connected with Kenny Britt right at the goal line short of a touchdown.
Officials reviewed the play and decided he did not break the plane, bringing up fourth down with 45 seconds left in the half.
Coach Jeff Fisher let the clock run down to the final three seconds before calling a timeout and lining up a power run for Gurley.
Gurley ran.
Gurley was stopped.
The Rams and Lions are tied at halftime.
Lions’ Andre Roberts makes improbable catch to tie game. 14-14
The Rams had the Lions stopped. Fourth and goal on the 2-yard line. Hold them to a field goal and call it a day.
Only the Lions didn’t run out their kicking team. Instead, Detroit ran Golden Tate in motion behind the line as a diversion and let Matthew Stafford take the reins.
As the play broke down and the Rams broke into the backfield, Stafford made a throw off his back foot to the left side to Andre Roberts, who was blanketed in coverage by E.J. Gaines.
Again, that should have been enough, but it wasn’t. Roberts made the catch to tie the game up.
The Lions drove 75 yards in 14 plays, thanks primarily to running back Zach Zenner, who is developing into a problem for the Rams.
Catching passes, tosses and running up the middle, the second-year pro out of South Dakota State accounted for 22 of the Lions’ total yards, including a 15-yard catch-and-run on a third and nine.
Keenum scores to give Rams a 14-7 lead over the Lions
Until today, the Lions had not given up a rushing touchdown. With Todd Gurley in the backfield, he had to be the one to change that, right? Wrong.
As Gurley slammed into the middle of the defensive line, quarterback Case Keenum rolled to his right for an easy one-yard touchdown run to give the Rams their first lead of the game, 14-7.
The Rams are giving the Lions plenty to think about with Gurley. L.A. opened with a passing play to Gurley to start the drive, which went 13 yards for a first down. He also carried the ball twice for gains of two and six yards before another toss from Keenum to Gurley went for 13 yards to the left side thanks to blocks from receiver Brian Quick and Kenny Britt.
Keenum spread the ball around on the Rams’ 11-play 84 yard drive, hitting Quick with a pass for 16 yards, Bradley Marquez for 13 and running back Benny Cunningham for nine.
The Rams lead the Lions, 14-7, with 11:01 left in the second quarter.
Rams rookie Josh Forrest gets key tackle to stop Lions drive
What should have been a three-and-out for the Lions was extended by a defensive holding call on Ethan Westbrooks.
The Lions committed two false starts to set up a third and 14, on which Matthew Stafford elected to throw a deep pass out of bounds intended for Marvin Jones. That should have ended the drive if it weren’t for Westbrooks’ holding call. No matter.
The Lions, given a fresh set of downs, ran newly signed running back Justin Forsett nine yards on their first play before two incompletions set up another third down.
But this time, rookie linebacker Josh Forrest stopped the drive by getting into the Lions backfield to tackle Zach Renner behind the line of scrimmage and end the drive.
Kenny Britt spins into the end zone to tie the game, 7-7
The Rams answered the Lions’ opening score with one of their own to tie the game, 7-7.
Kenny Britt sat in a hole in the Lions secondary as quarterback Case Keenum rolled out to his right side, drawing the defenders in his direction. Britt stepped left to catch a pass from Keenum and spun through two tacklers to the end zone for a 20-yard reception for a score.
The drive began with a 15-yard gain by running back Todd Gurley, who carried the ball three more times on the drive for another 14 yards.
Gurley went untouched for several yards on each carry.
Then, of course, the Rams went to their traditional screen-pass play to Tavon Austin on their second play for a short gain. Gurley picked up a first down with a seven-yard run before the Rams got lucky on a tipped pass.
The Lions got their hands up and batted a Case Keenum pass into the air, but the Rams got lucky there was no one there to catch it.
A nine-yard reception by Brian Quick set up a third and one at the Lions’ 27 for Gurley, who again converted.
Keenum went to Britt on the next pass for a five-yard gain, which set up the touchdown grab.
Detroit converts a fourth down, then scores to go up 7-0
The Lions went for it on fourth down, and a big play from receiver Golden Tate help set up Detroit’s first touchdown of the day, a seven-yard touchdown catch by Marvin Jones.
The game began with the Rams winning the coin toss and deferring. So the Lions received the kick to start the game, but as usual, Greg Zuerlein sent the ball out of the back of the end zone for a touchback.
With the Lions’ running back situation in flux because of injuries, Zach Zenner got the first carry of the game and went 15 yards for a first down.
After an incompletion from Matthew Stafford and then another short run by Zenner, the Lions faced a third down and eight. Stafford looked down field to throw, but pressure from the Rams prompted him to take off for a seven-yard gain.
Facing a fourth and one, the Lions went back to Zenner, who got enough for the first down through the right side of the line.
Then Stafford sidearmed a pass to Golden Tate to the right side on a screen pass. Tate took his quarterback’s offering and went 34 yards up the right side to set up Jones’ touchdown grab.
The Lions lead the Rams, 7-0.
Rams who must deliver and Lions to watch out for
Rams cornerback Troy Hill. Part of the reason the Rams cut Coty Sensabaugh was because of Hill’s emergence. With Trumaine Johnson sidelined because of an ankle injury, Hill will return to the starting lineup opposite E.J. Gaines. Hill has made great strides as a cover corner, but Lions quarterback Matt Stafford will no doubt target the replacement.
Lions linebacker Tahir Whitehead. He moved to middle linebacker this season and leads the Lions with 46 tackles. With tackle Haloti Ngata sidelined because of a shoulder injury, there will be more pressure on Whitehead to step up and stop Rams back Todd Gurley, who rushed for 140 yards and two scores against the Lions last season.
Rams getting ready to take on the Lions
Who’s in, who’s out: Rams vs. Detroit Lions
How the Rams and Lions match up
Rams pass offense vs. Lions pass defense: The Rams are ranked 30th in the NFL in passing offense, averaging only 202.4 yards per game. But they are facing a defense that has given up a league-high 14 touchdown passes. Case Keenum has passed for four touchdowns with five interceptions. Tavon Austin caught a season-best seven passes against Buffalo. Kenny Britt remains the go-to receiver. Rookie Pharoh Cooper returned last week and is looking for his first catch. Cornerback Darius Slay and safety Glover Quin have interceptions for the Lions.
EDGE: Rams.
Rams run offense vs. Lions run defense: Todd Gurley rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions last season. He can anticipate the usual loaded-box scheme, something Buffalo shied from last week. Austin also was incorporated into the rushing game and looked good from the I-formation and on fly sweeps. The Lions are giving up 114.8 yards rushing per game, which ranks 22nd. But they are the only team that has not surrendered a rushing touchdown. Tackle Haloti Ngata suffered a shoulder injury last week and is expected to be sidelined a few weeks.
EDGE: Lions.
Rams set to endure that short-handed feeling again against the Lions
The past couple years, it’s been one guy out for a little bit of time. It wasn’t a good feeling. But deep in the back of your mind you know it was a good decision.
— Rams nose tackle Michael Brockers
Michael Brockers, William Hayes and Robert Quinn stood on the sideline last week feeling helpless.
The linemen comprise three-fourths of the Rams’ starting defensive front. But injuries prevented them from aiding teammates trying to stop Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy.
The Rams are accustomed to missing a player or two from a position group because of injuries.
Not three.
Ask Sam Farmer: Why do some players excel in college but not in the NFL?
Have a question about the NFL? Ask Times NFL writer Sam Farmer, and he will answer as many as he can online and in the Sunday editions of the newspaper throughout the season. Email questions to: sam.farmer@latimes.com
Why do some players excel in college ball but not translate to pro ball? Is it the game itself, particular pro offense/defense, or something else?
Tom King, Kennelon, N.J.
Farmer: For this, I turned to former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, also formerly the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question because there are so many variables. But there are common threads in many situations.
“The pro game’s faster, so sometimes it’s speed,” Neuheisel said. “Sometimes it’s the ability to recognize and anticipate, whether it’s quarterbacks or defenses. And sometimes it’s just physical skill.”
Rams look to bounce back against the Detroit Lions
Our focus is entirely on the Lions. We’re playing a good opponent. In some ways, they kind of resemble us.
— Rams Coach Jeff Fisher
They will soon be off to England, a faraway destination that might serve as the locale for a turning point in the Rams’ season.
Next week’s NFL International Series game against the New York Giants outside London ends a 10-day trip that includes a one-week stay abroad.
The hop across the Atlantic will be far more tolerable for the Rams if they can successfully navigate the first leg of their journey by defeating the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field.
Coach Jeff Fisher and his players said they were not looking ahead.