Rams pull away from Lions, clinch NFC West again
Todd Gurley rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns and the Los Angeles Rams clinched the NFC West Division title by pulling away from the host Detroit Lions 30-16 on Sunday.
The Rams (11-1) were coming off a bye week following their wild 54-51 win over Kansas City.
Jared Goff completed 17 of 33 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown while getting picked off once. Robert Woods caught five passes for 67 yards and the touchdown.
Matthew Stafford completed 20 of 33 passes for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Lions (4-8).
Detroit took advantage of a Goff fumble early in the third as Matt Prater kicked a 29-yard field goal to cut Los Angeles' lead to 13-6. It could have been 13-10 but the Lions had a touchdown taken off the board when T.J. Jones was called for offensive pass interference.
The Lions then tried an onside kick but it failed. The Rams couldn't pick up a first down but thanks to the field position, Greg Zuerlein made a 48-yard field goal.
Detroit then used some trickery to score its lone touchdown, Stafford hitting a wide open Taylor Decker on a tackle-eligible play for an 11-yard score, finishing off a 75-yard drive and cutting the Rams' lead to 16-13.
With nine minutes to play, Aaron Donald forced a Stafford fumble and the Rams recovered at the Detroit 24. Three plays later, Gurley burst through a big hole on a 13-yard scoring run with 6:53 remaining.
Prater's 35-yard field goal with 2:54 remaining, made it 23-16 but Gurley's 2-yard run with less than two minutes remaining clinched the Rams' victory.
--Field Level Media