SB Nation Detroit - Lions Vs. Rams: Detroit Pulls Out Thrilling Victory In Waning Seconds, 27-23

Lions Vs. Rams: NFL Admits There Was Clock Error At End Of Game

2012-09-11T12:18:45Z

The National Football League has confirmed Jeff Fisher's allegation that there was a time-keeping error at the end of Sunday's game between the Detroit Lions and the St. Louis Rams.

With the scores tied at 20, Jeff Fisher's Rams held the ball, and planned to run out some more clock before kicking the game-winning field goal. That was the plan, at least.

With 2:38 remaining, the Rams would have to run only one more play before the two-minute warning. But a mistake by the clock operator froze the clock for a few seconds, thereby forcing the Rams to run two plays before the 2:00 mark.

This, essentially, gave Matthew Stafford and the Lions an extra timeout. They then marched down the field and Stafford passed to Kevin Smith for the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds remaining.

Coach Fisher was frustrated, but conceded, "There was an error, I did report it to the league, and that's all I can do."

Head over to Pride of Detroit for more Lions coverage, and be sure to check out SB Nation's NFL hub for more news and analysis from around the league.

Joique Bell On First Career Touchdown: 'Like A Dream Come True'

2012-09-10T19:27:31Z

Down, 3-0, early in the second quarter, the Detroit Lions handed the ball to Joique Bell on the 1-yard line, and he punched it to give the Lions a 7-0 lead. It was the first touchdown of Bell's career.

Joique Bell entered the NFL in 2010 out of Wayne State as an undrafted free agent signed by the Buffalo Bills. Since then, he has also been signed by the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints, but it was not until Sunday's game as a member of the Detroit Lions that he got his first regular season carry. He made it count.

As written by Justin Rogers of MLive.com, Bell took his first NFL carry, darted in for a touchdown, got up running and jumped into the crowd behind the Lions endzone. It was the realization of a dream.

"It was an amazing feeling. Growing up and watching guys jump into the crowd, I always told myself when I get my first regular season NFL touchdown, I'm jumping into the crowd. It was like a dream come true."

Bell's NFL stat line currently stands at one carry for one yard and one touchdown.

Head over to Pride of Detroit for more Lions coverage and Week 1 reaction, and be sure to check out SB Nation's NFL hub for more news and analysis from around the league.

NFL Injury Report: Lions' Bill Bentley Diagnosed With 'Concussion-Like Symptoms'

2012-09-10T17:59:59Z

On Sunday, the Detroit Lions bested the St. Louis Rams in the final seconds to start the season 1-0. Going into the game, they were significantly hampered by injuries, and coming out of it, there was only one casualty. Rookie cornerback Bill Bentley went down with an injury in the third quarter and did not return. At the time, it appeared to be a concussion and that's what it's looking like the day-after, as well.

According to The News-Herald, Bentley was evaluated with a concussion during the game and wasn't allowed to return, though it's unclear if the official diagnosis is a concussion:

"He was evaluated with a concussion and wasn't allowed to return,'' coach Jim Schwartz said. "He had come back the first time where he had been tested, he was getting ready to be cleared and we tested him again.'' Schwartz said he was unsure if Bentley was officially diagnosed with a concussion.

The official diagnosis is important because it will dictate whether or not Bentley has to pass the concussion tests before being cleared to practice. It's a tough injury for the Lions, given the fact that they're pretty thin at the cornerback position. Chris Houston is still banged up and the team let go its true No. 2 corner in Aaron Berry prior to the start of the season for disciplinary reasons.

Aside from Bentley, there's not many other injuries to note on the Lions side. There were a good amount of injuries to the Rams, including Rodger Saffold and Scott Wells, but the Lions only had Bentley of note to worry about.

Head over to Pride of Detroit for more Lions coverage and Week 1 reaction, and be sure to check out SB Nation's NFL hub for more news and analysis from around the league.

Lions Vs. Rams Reaction: Matthew Stafford Played Well When It Mattered

2012-09-10T17:25:56Z

For most of the afternoon, it looked as though the Detroit Lions were going to drop a very disappointing season opener against the St. Louis Rams. But thanks to a last second touchdown from Matthew Stafford to Kevin Smith, the Lions escaped with a victory and now stand at a perfect 1-0.

SB Nation's Detroit Lions blog, Pride Of Detroit, reacted with a "a win is a win" attitude, but admitting that the team must play better moving forward.

There's no doubt that the Lions have to play better going forward, especially next week in primetime against the San Francisco 49ers. However, the important thing about Sunday's game is that the Lions did manage to win despite playing very sloppy. Stafford was off his game for most of the day, but when it mattered most, he locked in and led the Lions down the field for the game-winning touchdown.

The Lions, especially Stafford, were very sloppy. Detroit gave the ball away three times on three interceptions including an one returned for a touchdown by the Rams' Cortland Finnegan. Detroit will now face a team who did not win ugly--the San Francisco 49ers, who defensively dominated the Green Bay Packers.

Head over to Pride of Detroit for more Lions coverage and Week 1 reaction, and be sure to check out SB Nation's NFL hub for more news and analysis from around the league.

Titus Young Benched After Headbutting Rams' Janoris Jenkins

2012-09-10T17:01:29Z

The Detroit Lions pulled it all together in the final 20 seconds to best the St. Louis Rams in their opener on Sunday, taking a 27-23 home victory. One player in particular wasn't on the field for that drive, however: wide receiver Titus Young. According to Pro Football Talk (via the Detroit News), head coach Jim Schwartz benched Young following an unnecessary roughness penalty in which Young headbutted Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

"He didn't do a smart thing," Schwartz said of Young. "We knew what was going to happen in some situations. He and a couple of guys [Jenkins and Rams defensive back Cortland Finnegan] were going back and forth, and the whole thing was right in front of me. It looked like he was going to do the right thing and walk away, but at the last second he turned and made a really dumb decision."

The incident occurred near the end of the first half, directly after a pass from Matthew Stafford was intercepted by Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan for a touchdown. Young was assessed a 15-yard penalty on the play and was gone for the remainder of the game. He finished with one reception for 14 yards and one carry for 11 yards.

This isn't the first time Young has done something like this. He was penalized for a personal foul against the New Orleans Saints in 2011, and was in a fight during training camp with teammate Louis Delmas. It's a worrying trend for Young, who has been warned on multiple occasions. It's unlikely he faces further disciplinary action at this point, but if he makes another mistake, he could be looking at a significantly longer benching and possibly a suspension.

Head over to Pride of Detroit for more Lions coverage and Week 1 reaction, and be sure to check out SB Nation's NFL hub for more news and analysis from around the league.

Bill Bentley Injury: Lions CB Reportedly Suffered Concussion Vs. Rams

2012-09-09T23:16:28Z

One of the most impressive young players on the Detroit Lions' roster, starting first-year cornerback Bill Bentley, left Sunday's game with St. Louis after sustaining a concussion in the third quarter, according to MLive.com's Anwar Richardson.

Bentley, who was tested multiple times on the sideline while his possible return was evaluated, did not give team doctors a clear indication that he was healthy enough to go back on the field. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz noted that his young defensive back was not official diagnosed during the game, but that he was experiencing concussion-like symptoms which led the team to play things safe.

"I don't know if he was officially diagnosed, but we err on the side of caution when it comes to it," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "He wasn't unconscious or anything like that where it would have been for sure. But again, if a guy is having any symptoms, we're not going to let him back in the game, and that's what happened with Bill."

An obvious blow to Detroit's already thin secondary if he's forced to miss extended time, Bentley will need to first be cleared by a non-team affiliated doctor in order to have a chance at facing off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football next week.

Head over to Pride of Detroit for more Lions coverage and Week 1 reaction, and be sure to check out SB Nation's NFL hub for more news and analysis from around the league.

Lions Vs. Rams Final Score: Detroit Stuns St. Louis With Late Touchdown, 27-23

2012-09-09T21:16:45Z

It was hardly what head coach Jim Schwartz envisioned entering the weekend, but the Detroit Lions still managed to pull out a thrilling late-second victory over St. Louis on Sunday afternoon, 27-23.

After surrendering a field goal that gave the Rams a 23-20 lead with 1:55 remaining, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford led a once-sputtering offense down the field to keep the team's chances alive. Instead of playing conservatively to set up a game-tying field goal, however, Stafford looked to the air and found tailback Kevin Smith on a wide open 5-yard swing pass to snatch the lead with just 10 seconds left.

With a fast track on the majority of carries while second-year back Mikel Leshoure is suspended, Smith recorded 62 yards on 13 carries with a rushing score to go with his game-winning catch. Star wideout Calvin Johnson was unable to find the endzone despite being targeted for much of the afternoon, but did manage to tally six receptions for 111 yards.

Likely to focus significantly on their turnover issues at practice in the coming days, Stafford and the Lions will face off against the San Francisco 49ers on the road in a pivotal game next Sunday.

Be sure to visit Pride of Detroit for more Lions coverage, and check out Turf Show Times for more on the Rams. Also head over to SB Nation's NFL hub for more news and analysis from around the league.

Rams Vs. Lions Score Update: Detroit Ties It Up Going Into Fourth

2012-09-09T19:24:35Z

In a third quarter much cleaner than the first two, the Detroit Lions have tied the game against the St. Louis Rams at 13-13.

Kicker Jason Hanson hit a 45-yard field goal with 9:34 to play in the third quarter to knot it up.

Through three full possessions in the quarter, the Lions gave up only one first down to the Rams. St. Louis only has seven first downs on the day to Detroit's 18.

Lions running back Kevin Smith has 11 carries for 44 yards and quarterback Matt Stafford has 213 yards passing. Stafford has gone 22-for-33 and appears to have shaken off a first half in which he threw three interceptions.

St. Louis has struggled to score without Detroit's help. Quarterback Sam Bradford has completed 10-of-16 of his passes but only has 96 yards through the air. Running back Steven Jackson has 13 carries for 42 yards, but the Rams only have 52 yards on the ground.

Check out Pride Of Detroit for more on the Lions.