Costly mistakes, penalties doom Detroit Lions in loss to Kansas City Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Detroit Lions sure had enough chances to build a lead and put pressure on the Kansas City Chiefs.

But they couldn’t capitalize in those crucial moments, falling 30-17 to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football from Arrowhead Stadium.

It’s hard not to think about a couple of key moments in the first half as turning points. Jared Goff’s touchdown catch was called back due to illegal motion on the near 10-minute opening drive. The Lions had to settle for a field goal begrudgingly after scoring on fourth-and-goal to open the game.

Then there was the fourth-down incompletion near midfield late in the first half. Goff went for Amon-Ra St. Brown on fourth-and-2, but St. Brown was unable to reel it in despite getting two hands on the ball. Even with the ball a little low due to the pressure, it’s shocking to see St. Brown and his surefire hands miss that opportunity. Heck, it was the only target he didn’t catch on 10 looks.

The Lions were up 10-6 at that point, and if St. Brown makes that catch, they would have had a chance to keep the good vibes rolling. From that point, the game just kept slipping further away, with the Lions unable to regain momentum.

The turnover on downs via the drop gifted Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs with the short field. Rock Ya-Sin, forced into the starting lineup at cornerback, committed a costly defensive pass interference penalty on third-and-10. And the Chiefs scored a few moments later to take their first lead, and they didn’t trail for the rest of the night.

Kansas City also punched in the go-ahead touchdown heading into the break. Then, the Chiefs wasted no time in extending their lead, going 81 yards on eight plays in a hurry to open the second half. Mahomes hit Hollywood Brown for the 9-yard touchdown, and all of a sudden, the Lions were fighting for their lives.

After the turnover on downs late in the first half, the Lions took a while to get their footing back. The defense forced a punt in a badly needed spot, down 20-10. And Goff and the offense worked their way downfield to put themselves right back within reach.

The team’s second drive of the second half saw Goff and running back David Montgomery hit two screens for a combined 37 yards. St. Brown also got busy, with three straight catches on three plays to give the offense a fighting chance after his costly drop.

Goff and Sam LaPorta then connected on an unreal touchdown when the Lions needed it the most. The Lions quarterback had nothing open on second-and-goal. But he put the ball in a spot where only his tight end could get it, and LaPorta got both feet down on the leaping catch through sticky coverage.

But the Chiefs and Mahomes did what they always seem to do. They put the game away late and took full advantage of a gift from the heavens. Lions pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson hit the two-time MVP late, and eight plays later, the Chiefs were back up 10.

The Lions got the ball back with less than 10 minutes left, and they picked the worst spot for their second three-and-out of the game. Goff was sacked for the first time of the night by Charles Omenihu on third down. And a big punt return gave Kansas City the ball near midfield as this one slipped further away from Dan Campbell’s group.

Kansas City’s offense erased the clock after that punt and added more to its lead in the process.

See below for more observations from the game:

-- Dan Campbell’s Lions have excelled in primetime, coming in with a 12-2 record under the lights since he took over. But this is their first loss in primetime since the controversial “reported as eligible” loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 back in 2023.

-- Patrick Mahomes threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns on 22 completions, adding 34 yards and another score on the ground. The Chiefs scored four touchdowns on six trips to the red zone, converting two big fourth-down conversions.

-- After starting seven-for-seven for 85 yards and one touchdown, Jared Goff finished 22-of-25 for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Goff has thrown at least one touchdown in 12 straight games. He did his best to keep them alive, scrambling for first downs and fighting tight window throws on the run.

-- Jameson Williams has 12 career touchdown catches. Eleven of those have come from more than 20-plus yards. His 22-yard score in the first half was somehow the second-shortest of his career, highlighting his deep-play ability. Williams finished with six catches for 66 yards and the score after a couple of quiet weeks.

-- Amon-Ra St. Brown ended the game doing his best to make up for his costly drop in the second quarter. He finished with nine catches for 45 yards. It was another week with St. Brown climbing the franchise’s all-time leaderboard, passing Johnnie Morton for the third-most catches (469). He passed Morton while catching three straight passes on three consecutive plays in the third quarter.

-- Aidan Hutchinson has a sack in five straight games, forcing a fumble in four straight to bolster his defensive player of the year chances. Hutchinson committed a roughing the passer penalty via a late hit on Mahomes in the fourth quarter, though. The Chiefs, as they always seem to, capitalized and put the Lions in a deeper hole with time running thin.

-- Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin were the starting outside cornerbacks, as expected. Arthur Maulet was the primary nickelback, answering one of the questions for the banged-up defense. On the offensive side of the ball, it was Dan Skipper to start at left tackle. Robertson got beaten by Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy in the first quarter. Ya-Sin committed the costly pass interference penalty. And Maulet had a tough day against the Chiefs’ speedy pass-catchers and tight end Travis Kelce.

-- The Lions fall to 4-2. They host the 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football before heading into the bye week. For them, the main focus needs to be getting safety Kerby Joseph healthy, and left tackle Taylor Decker, interior defender Alim McNeill and cornerback Terrion Arnold back. Joseph exited in the first half while battling through his knee issues, before eventually returning.

-- After hosting the Bucs, it doesn’t get any easier, so while this was a matchup against an AFC team, they need every victory they can get. They’ll host the Minnesota Vikings after the bye week, and then have back-to-back road trips against the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles.

-- The Lions set the tone for their rise to being a perennial contender with a win against these Chiefs two years ago. But the banged-up secondary and missed chances they usually hit were too much to overcome in their latest trip to Kansas City.

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