The Detroit Lions won their first playoff game in more than three decades on Sunday, outlasting the Los Angeles Rams to secure a 24–23 victory.
After both offenses traded heavy blows in the first half, the defenses settled in as the game came to a close, leading to a thrilling finish.
With seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Rams got the ball back deep inside their own territory, needing just a field goal to take the lead. Matthew Stafford and company were able to get the ball past midfield and right to the edge of field goal range, thanks in part to a historic night from rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua.
But a holding penalty pushed the Rams back to the 44-yard line, and on fourth-and-14, with 4:15 left to play, Los Angeles decided to punt.
The decision came back to bite the Rams. Having already used two of his three timeouts—one each in the first two minutes of the third and fourth quarters—coach Sean McVay had only one timeout in his pocket and the two-minute warning left to stop the clock. The Lions were able to gain the yardage necessary to let the clock run out, and the Rams never got the ball back.
Lon Horwedel/USA TODAY Sports
McVay came under criticism due to several compounding mistakes regarding his clock management late in the game. First, using his second-half timeouts early on offensive possessions left the Rams with two fewer chances to stop the clock late. The drives that used the timeouts ended in a punt and a field goal. Not a lot of bang for your buck there.
McVay also didn’t use his final timeout in front of the two-minute warning, which theoretically would have saved the Rams a few seconds of precious time, although given how the Lions’ final drive played out, it ultimately didn’t matter.
Finally, McVay decided to punt on fourth-and-14 on the Lions’ final possession. While going for a fourth down play that long might feel desperate, it was a low-risk, high-reward move given the situation that the Rams were in. The punt netted the Rams just 31 yards of field position, which in retrospect would have been a small price to pay for one more attempt with the ball in Stafford’s hands.
McVay admitted that looking back on the moment, the decision to punt was a mistake.
“Still having a timeout and four minutes, the way our defense was playing, we were hoping to get a stop,” McVay told reporters after the game. “Hindsight is 20/20. Certainly regret that decision now.”
Fans criticized McVay for the poor management of the clock.
Sean McVay has never played Madden.
— Danny Heifetz (@Danny_Heifetz) January 15, 2024
Won’t be a big talking point, but the Rams lost this game because of Sean McVay. He’s gotten away with horrible clock management his entire career.
— Jon DiMuzio (@jondimuz) January 15, 2024
Really good game by Sean McVay the play caller
— Max Toscano (@maxtoscano1) January 15, 2024
Tough game from Sean McVay the game manager
Sean McVay feels like the spiritual successor to Andy Reid. Incredible offensive mind, but the basic game management stuff can really hold him back.
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) January 15, 2024
I think this season was Sean McVay's best coaching job, I don't think tonight reflected that though. Poor timeout management. Stale play calling in the red zone. Everything for Stafford felt like it was hard tonight.
— Black Dada Nihilismus (@Deuce1042) January 15, 2024
Sean McVay is going to have sleepless nights thinking about how he managed this game from getting the ball right before half to the end
— Kegan Reneau (@KeganReneau) January 15, 2024
Brutal
LAR decided to punt to DET from the DET 44 on 4th & 14 with 4:15 remaining in the 4th while losing 23 to 24.
— Surrender Index 90 (@surrender_idx90) January 15, 2024
With a Surrender Index of 29.05, this punt ranks at the 99.2nd percentile of cowardly punts of the 2023 season, and the 98th percentile of all punts since 1999.
The late clock management alone was not what lost the game for the Rams. Los Angeles settled for field goals in all three of their trips to the red zone, and also left potential points on the board when they decided to play conservatively to end the first half. Like McVay said, hindsight is 20/20.
With the win, the Lions will host a second playoff game against the winner of Monday night’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, McVay and the Rams will looks toward next season.
