Recap: Slay interception ices Lions' 13-10 win over Chargers
Nolan Bianchi
Game summary
Detroit Lions corner Darius Slay was a victim of Philip Rivers and Keenan Allen all Sunday afternoon but sealed a 13-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers with a late fourth-quarter interception in the end zone.
Final leaders
Passing
DET - Matthew Stafford: 22/30, 245 yds., 2 TD, 2 INT
LAC - Philip Rivers: 21/36, 293 yds., INT
Rushing
DET - Kerryon Johnson: 12 atts., 41 yds.
LAC - Austin Ekeler: 8 atts., 27 yds., TD
Receiving
DET - Kenny Golladay: 8 recs., 117 yds., TD
LAC - Keenan Allen: 8 recs., 98 yds.
Slay picks off Rivers in end zone late in fourth
Sam Martin's kick is returned by Desmond King to the 20.
Dontrelle Inman can't hold onto a first-down pass from Philip Rivers, and the pass is nearly picked off after ricocheting off his hands. Rivers overthrows Keenan Allen on second down. The veteran quarterback picks up 12 yards and a first down with his feet to keep the drive alive.
Injury alert: Lions CB Darius Slay was injured on the play and is being checked on by the training staff.
Rivers overthrows Allen again on first down. Justin Jackson bursts through the middle for a gain of 13, setting the Chargers up with a first down at the Los Angeles 45.
Jackson is stopped for a gain of 2 on second down. Rivers whips it to Mike Williams for an 18-yard completion at the Detroit 35.
Austin Ekeler is stopped for no gain on first down and catches a pass for 5 yards on second down. It's Allen again beating Slay on third down, picking up 11 yards.
Tracy Walker makes a nice play to quickly get into the backfield and drop Justin Jackson for a loss of 4.
Two-minute warning
Quandre Diggs makes a great play to wrap up Ekeler on a screen pass for no gain. A delay-of-game penalty makes it third-and-19 from the 28.
Slay makes up for the damage done by Allen all day by intercepting Rivers in the end zone for a touchback.
Lions 13, Chargers 10 (1:03 4th)
C.J. Anderson goes up the middle for a gain of 1 on first down.
Timeout #1 Los Angeles (0:58 4th)
Anderson picks up 3 yards on second down.
Timeout #2 Los Angeles (0:54 4th)
Jesse James picks up a first down with a 7-yard reception. That'll do it.
FINAL: Lions 13, Chargers 10
Lions take first lead of game in fourth quarter
Kerryon Johnson gets it on first down, reaching the 35 with a 4-yard run. Johnson catches a delayed screen on the next play and makes three defenders miss on his way to an 11-yard reception.
Matthew Stafford hits Kenny Golladay on the next play for a gain of 10 that moves the Lions to the Charger 44.
C.J. Anderson rushes for 7 yards on first down and loses 3 of them on second down. Golladay hauls in a third-down reception, but is a yard short of the first-down marker. The Lions will go for it. Stafford forces a laser into Marvin Jones for a 4-yard pickup that'll give the Lions a first down at the 31-yard-line.
The Lions take their first lead of the game with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Golladay.
Lions 13, Chargers 10 (7:21 4th)
Chargers' Long misses second field goal of half
Austin Ekeler picks up 5 yards on first down and 2 on second down.
END 3RD: Chargers 10, Lions 6
Mike Williams makes a nice catch in traffic to pick up 18 yards and a Chargers first down.
Philip Rivers then connects with Dontrelle Inman for a 28-yard gain that'll make it first-and-10 from the Detroit 32.
Ekeler is pushed out of bounds after a gain of 4 yards on first down and gets 5 on second down. Rivers is forced to throw it away after Detroit pushes him out of the pocket.
Ty Long's 41-yard field goal attempt is no good.
Chargers 10, Lions 6 (11:45 4th)
Lions' Stafford throws second interception of game
Kenny Golladay picks up a first down with a 10-yard reception to open the drive.
T.J. Hockenson draws a false-start penalty. Matthew Stafford makes another errant deep throw, this time getting picked off by Rayshawn Jenkins at the Charger 15.
Chargers 10, Lions 6 (0:59 3rd)
Chargers' kicker Long drill upright on field-goal attempt
Austin Ekeler gets to the Charger 45 with an 8-yard run on first down. Darius Slay is beat by Keenan Allen again for a 9-yard pickup that'll give the Chargers a first down in Lions territory.
Virgil Green catches a 9-yard pass on first down. Ekeler wheels and deals his way to another 9-yard gain on second down.
Justin Jackson gets to the Detroit 26 with a 2-yard reception. He catches another pass on second down, this time for a gain of 5. Third-and-3 coming up. Trey Flowers hits Rivers as he throws to force an incompletion.
The Ford Field uprights are already in midseason form, swatting Ty Long's 39-yard field goal attempt.
Chargers 10, Lions 6 (2:13 3rd)
Detroit goes three-and-out after forcing turnover
Detroit takes over at the 3 after the turnover.
Matthew Stafford's first-down pass to Marvin Jones is complete for 6 yards. Kerryon Johnson gets 2 yards on second down, but is wrapped up by Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram in a hurry on third down for no gain.
The Chargers will get it at their 37 after a holding penalty on the punt return.
Chargers 10, Lions 6 (6:24 3rd)
Lions force huge goal-line fumble to stop Chargers momentum
The Chargers draw a dead-ball penalty on first down. Philip Rivers hits Austin Ekeler on a screen, and Ekeler takes off for a 25-yard gain.
Justin Jackson breaks free for a 60-yard touchdown run, but a holding penalty brings it back to the Detroit 30. First down, nonetheless.
Ekeler powers ahead for a gain of 8 on first down. He then reaches the end zone on a screen pass, but it's again called back, this time for an illegal block. Then another play, another penalty. It'll be second-and-16 from the 36. Keenan Allen beats Darius Slay in coverage again for a gain of 23.
Slay takes a defensive holding penalty on a throw to Allen in the end zone on the very next play. Rough day for the Pro-Bowl corner. The Chargers will have it first-and-goal at the 1.
Ekeler fumbles at the 1-yard-line. Devon Kennard picks it up at the 3. Huge break for the Lions.
Chargers 10, Lions 6 (8:32 3rd)
Lions' Stafford throws first interception of season
Ty Long's second-half kick goes for a touchback. There was an illegal formation penalty on the Chargers, giving the Lions a first down at the 30.
Tyrell Crosby, starting in the place of starting left tackle Taylor Decker (back), is called for holding on first down. It'll be first-and-20.
Logan Thomas catches a 7-yard pass on first down. Matthew Stafford takes the snap in an empty backfield and hits Ty Johnson for a gain of 6, bringing up third-and-7. Stafford tucks it and runs for 8 yards, giving the Lions a first down at the 41.
Kerryon Johnson is stopped for a gain of 1 on first down. Stafford draws the Chargers offside again, this time completing a quick deep shot to Kenny Golladay for a gain of 27 yards.
It'll be first-and-10 at the Charger 31.
T.J. Hockenson draws a holding penalty on the next play, making it first-and-15. Stafford throws to the end zone to Golladay on the next play. The pass is picked off by Casey Heyward. The Chargers will get it at the 20.
Chargers 10, Lions 6 (11:59 3rd)
Halftime leaders
Passing
DET - Matthew Stafford: 11/17, 121 yds., TD
LAC - Philip Rivers: 9/18, 141 yds.
Rushing
DET - Kerryon Johnson: 8 atts., 34 yds.
LAC - Austin Ekeler: 8 atts., 27 yds., TD
Receiving
DET - Kerryon Johnson: 1 rec., 36 yds., TD
LAC - Keenan Allen: 5 recs., 55 yds.
Chargers extend lead with field goal before half
Austin Ekeler is stopped after a gain of 2 on first down.
Timeout #2 Los Angeles (0:34 2nd)
Derek Watt can't haul in a second-down throw from Philip Rivers. That's five dropped passes for the Chargers today. Keenan Allen makes a really nice catch while going out of bounds on third down for a gain of 11 yards. He yells "Feet draaaaag!" into the boom mic after. Pretty cool stuff folks.
Rivers then hits Allen over the middle for a 16-yard completion. The Chargers are at the 32.
Rivers throws incomplete to Allen on the next play. Mike Williams makes a diving, 47-yard catch on second down.
Timeout #3 Los Angeles (0:04 2nd)
Ty Long's 39-yard field goal is good.
END 2ND: Chargers 10, Lions 6
Detroit drive stalls in Chargers territory near end of half
Detroit gets it at the 20.
Matthew Stafford throws complete to Marvin Jones on first down for a 3-yard gain. J.D. McKissic is pushed out of bounds for a loss of 2 on second down. A Los Angeles lineman jumps before the snap, and Stafford takes a deep shot to Jones that falls incomplete. It'll be third-and-4. Jones makes a terrific leaping catch for 24 yards that'll give the Lions a first down at midfield.
Two-minute warning
McKissic makes a nice cut to pick up 4 yards on first down. Stafford's second-down throw to Kenny Golladay falls incomplete. Kerryon Johnson drops a throw on third down. Went right through his hands.
Sam Martin's punt is downed at the 3-yard-line.
Chargers 7, Lions 6 (1:20 2nd)
Lions force three-and-out near end of half
Darius Slay is flagged for defensive holding on first down. Philip Rivers' throw on first-and-10 from the 36 is caught by Derek Watt for 3 yards. Justin Jackson loses a yard on second down. Travis Benjamin drops a throw on third down that would've kept the drive alive.
Ty Long's punt is fielded by Danny Amendola for an 11-yard gain that'll give the Lions starting field position at the 20.
Chargers 7, Lions 6 (3:29 2nd)
Missed Prater field goal maintains Lions' 7-6 deficit
Rookie Ty Johnson gets a block from fullback Nick Bawden and steams ahead for a 16-yard gain before going out of bounds at the 31.
Johnson gets 1 yard on second down. Kenny Golladay hauls in an 11-yard pass that'll keep the chains moving.
Johnson gets another yard on the next play, but a 15-yard facemask penalty will give the Lions a first down at the 40.
Johnson rushes for 8 yards on first down and 2 on second down.
Matthew Stafford hits Jesse James for a 5-yard completion. Kerryon Johnson goes for 2 yards on second down. Stafford's third-down throw to Danny Amendola is incomplete.
Matt Prater misses a 40-yard field goal.
Chargers 7, Lions 6 (5:57 2nd)
Lions avoid special teams disaster, settle for special teams headache
Austin Ekeler cuts his way to a 12-yard run on first down.
Philip Rivers misses Keenan Allen with Darius Slay in coverage on the next play. Second-and-10 from the Charger 24. Ekeler is popped by Quandre Diggs after a gain of 4 yards on second down. Rivers can't connect with Travis Benjamin on third down.
Ty Long's punt is fielded by Jamal Agnew and it's stripped, recovered by the Chargers. There's a holding penalty on each team, however, and the Lions will be fortunate to have the down re-played. Agnew gets benched in favor of Danny Amendola, who returns the punt to the Detroit 46, but once again, it's brought back because of two holding penalties on the Lions.
Chargers 7, Lions 6 (10:50 2nd)
Lions drive stalls near midfield
Kerryon Johnson gashes the Chargers defense for a gain of 9 on first down and powers ahead for 4 yards on second down to move the chains. First-and-10 at the 27.
C.J. Anderson gets his first carry of the game, getting wrapped up for no gain.
END 1ST: Chargers 7, Lions 6
Detroit faces second-and-10 after the break. Matthew Stafford throws to rookie Ty Johnson in the flat, a completion that gains no yardage. Stafford hits Kenny Golladay on an out-route that's good for 12 yards and will give the Lions a first down at the 39.
Stafford's throw to Hockenson on first down sails over his receiver. Marvin Jones hauls in a 6-yard reception while going out of bounds at the 45. Joey Bosa hits Stafford hard just before going out of bounds for a gain of only 1.
Sam Martin's punt is fair caught at the 12.
Chargers 7, Lions 6 (12:20 2nd)
Lions force three-and-out after scoring touchdown
Sam Martin's kick is taken for a touchback. Chargers get it at the 25.
Philip Rivers is able to escape pressure and hit Keenan Allen for a 6-yard gain. There's some confusion on the second-down handoff between Rivers and Austin Ekeler and Ekeler is stopped for a gain of 1. A'Shawn Robinson and Romeo Okwara bring down Rivers for a sack that forces a loss of 6.
Jamal Agnew returns the punt to the 33. A holding penalty on the Lions will back them up to the 14.
Chargers 7, Lions 6 (1:49 1st)
Lions answer with Johnson's touchdown reception
Detroit takes over at the 25.
T.J. Hockenson catches a first-down pass for a gain of 7. Kerryon Johnson picks up the first down with a 4-yard run up the middle.
Matthew Stafford gets a throw off with Desmond King in his face, connecting with Jesse James for a 6-yard completion. Stafford then hits Kenny Golladay for a gain of 11 that'll give the Lions a first down at the Charger 47.
Johnson spins his way through the middle for a 7-yard gain. He does the same on second down, this time picking up 4 yards and moving the chains.
Stafford throws incomplete to Jesse James near the right sideline. Johnson bobbles a screen pass, corrals it, and cuts up the right sideline for a 36-yard touchdown reception.
Matt Prater misses the PAT
Chargers 7, Lions 6 (4:10 1st)
Chargers take 7-0 lead on Lions with Ekeler touchdown
Derek Watt powers ahead for a gain of 2 on first down. Tracy Walker is burned in coverage by Austin Ekeler, hauling in a 35-yard reception that gives the Chargers a first down at the Detroit 31.
Philip Rivers hits Keenan Allen for a gain of 12 on the next play.
Justin Jackson jukes his way to a 6-yard gain on first down from the 19. Rivers' throw to Mike Williams in the end zone is broken up by Rashaan Melvin. Rivers connects with Allen for a pickup of 10 that makes it first-and-goal from the 3.
Ekeler is stopped a yard short of the goal line on first down. Williams can't haul in a fade throw, bringing up third down.
Timeout #1 Los Angeles (8:02 1st)
Ekeler goes over the top for a Chargers touchdown.
Chargers 7, Lions 0 (7:57 1st)
Lions offense goes three-and-out on opening drive
Kerryon Johnson goes up the middle for a gain of 2 on first down and 1 yard on second down. Matthew Stafford misses the mark on third down.
Sam Martin's punt heads out of bounds at the 32.
Lions 0, Chargers 0 (12:21 1st)
Lions defense forces three-and-out on opening drive
Detroit wins the toss and will defer to the second half.
Desmond King returns Sam Martin's kickoff to the 26. Philip Rivers' first-down throw to Keenan Allen is broken up by Christian Jones. Austin Ekeler goes up the middle for a gain of 3 on second down. Darius Slay makes a great play to breakup Rivers' third-down throw to Allen.
Jamal Agnew returns the punt for 5 yards to the 21.
Lions 0, Chargers 0 (14:00 1st)
Pregame
The Detroit Lions host the dangerous Los Angeles Chargers in a Week 2 matchup at Ford Field. Follow the action here throughout the game with live updates by Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News.
Inactives
Lions: G Beau Benzschawel, QB David Blough, LB Jarrad Davis, OT Taylor Decker, WR Travis Fulgham, DL Da'Shawn Hand, CB Amani Aruwariye are inactive for Detroit.
Chargers: TE Hunter Henry, CB Michael Davis, K Mike Badgley, DT Cortez Broughton, OLB Jatavis Brown, QB Easton Stick, DB Roderic Teamer are inactive for Los Angeles.
LIONS VS. CHARGERS
Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Ford Field, Detroit
TV/radio: CBS/760
Records: Chargers 1-0, Lions 0-0-1
Line: Chargers by 2.5
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