Mahomes, Chiefs too much for Lions on 'Sunday Night Football'

Lions can't keep up with Chiefs, fall 30-17 on 'Sunday Night Football'

Lions begin from their own 27, as an offsides penalty from Jones helps stop the clock after a LaPorta catch for 9 yards. Goff throws back-to-back incompletions to make it fourth-and-1, then Williams can't make the diving catch to give the ball back to the Chiefs at the two-minute warning. Mahomes kneels it out and that'll end the game, 30-17, as the Lions lose their second game of the season, but after the final kneel a fight breaks out on the field. It's between Brian Branch and Smith-Schuster as Branch shoved Smith-Schuster on the head before the scuffle started, with this night ending on a sour note for the Lions. (End of game)

Lions go three-and-out, Chiefs hit FG to make it 30-17 late in fourth quarter

Chiefs are now looking to drain the clock as Pacheco gains 7 yards on two straight runs to make it third-and-3, where Mahomes throws a quick strike to Kelce for a first down. Chiefs create third-and-1 as Hunt runs over Ya-Sin for 10 yards and another first down as the Lions use their first timeout with 3:26 left. Hunt and Pacheco each run for 2 yards to drain the Lions' last two timeouts with 3:14 remaining, then Mahomes is sacked by Al-Quadin Muhammad on third down as Butker hits the 33-yard field goal. (2:26)

Lions starting from their own 26 as Gibbs is wrapped by Nick Bolton to lose 3 yards on first down, but St. Brown gets 3 yards back on second down to make it third-and-10. Goff is pressured by Chris Jones, then sacked by Charles Omenihu as the Lions go three-and-out as Fox punts it away, but Nikko Remigio returns it to the Detroit 49. (7:12)

Chiefs again answer with score, Mahomes has third TD pass as Lions trail, 27-17, in fourth quarter

Chiefs start at their own 31 after the kickoff return, as Hunt gains 3 yards on a first down run. Mahomes throws it in the dirt but Hutchinson hits him late for a roughing penalty and a first down, then Worthy takes a reverse for 6 yards. Worthy makes a catch down the middle before reversing course for 14 yards and a first down, then Smith-Schuster makes a 10-yard reception to move the chains again. This Chiefs offense is rolling as Smith catches a screen pass for 8 yards, then Pacheco runs ahead to make it first-and-goal at the Detroit 8. Pacheco gets 5 yards on first down, then after Mahomes throws it away on second down, Brown is wide open for the touchdown catch as the Chiefs again take a 10-point lead. (9:30)

LaPorta toe-taps for TD catch, Lions cut deficit to 20-17 early in fourth quarter

(Start of 4th Quarter) This fourth quarter starts with first-and-goal at the Kansas City 9 as St. Brown makes another reception for 4 yards, then Goff finds LaPorta in the back of the end zone for an amazing toe-tapping touchdown catch! Bates hits the extra point and the Lions are back in it. (14:14)

Both teams trade punts and empty possessions as Lions trail, 20-10, entering fourth quarter

Chiefs send another blitz but they leave Montgomery open, as he has tons of room to run before being stopped for 23 yards. Goff connects with St. Brown on back-to-back receptions for 23 total yards and two first downs, and it continues as St. Brown catches the low pass for 6 yards. Williams gets the jet touch pass and gets 6 yards to move the chains, then Montgomery catches the screen pass for 14 yards on the final play of this quarter. (End of 3rd Quarter)

Starting from their own 7-yard line, Pacheco runs inside for 3 yards on first down, but he can't make the catch on second down. Mahomes and Kelce connect for 17 yards to move the chains, then the quarterback scrambles ahead for 2 yards on the next play. After an incomplete pass on second down, Mahomes scrambles again and is 2 yards short of the marker. That forces the first Kansas City punt of the night as Matt Araiza boots it away, with a fair catch called at the Detroit 19. (3:34)

Reynolds returns it to the Detroit 26. Gibbs gets two straight carries for 7 yards, then the Chiefs send a third-down blitz but St. Brown makes the catch on a slant for 4 yards and a first down. Williams is wide open on the outside as it's a quick snap and throw to him for 15 yards, followed by a 2-yard run from Gibbs on first down. The screen pass to Gibbs is blown up by Drue Tranquill, then Cook stops Williams on third down as Fox punts it away again. (6:42)

Chiefs score quickly on second-half opening drive, Lions down 20-10

(Start of 3rd Quarter) Chiefs make a short return as they start from their own 19, but Brashard Smith runs outside on first down for 9 yards, then Pacheco gets an inside run for nine more. Gray catches the quick pass and goes down the sideline for 19 yards for another Kansas City first down. Kelce makes a low catch on second down to move the chains, then Kansas City catches the Lions offsides as Mahomes scrambles to move the chains. Hunt gains 11 yards on a screen pass to make it first-and-goal at the Detroit 9, as Brown catches the touch pass for the touchdown to help the Chiefs extend their lead. (11:18)

Lions, Chiefs go back-and-forth in first half, Kansas City scores TD late to take 13-10 halftime lead

Reynolds returns it to the Detroit 32 with 33 seconds remaining and one timeout left for the Lions in this first half. LaPorta gets out of bounds on a 5-yard reception, then St. Brown 3-yard catch inbounds forces the last Lions timeout with 22 seconds left. Goff is chased out the pocket and throws it away for the first punt of the night. Jack Fox boots it as the fair catch is made at the Kansas City 10 and Mahomes kneels it to end the second quarter. (Halftime)

Lions can't convert on fourth down, Chiefs drive leads to Mahomes rushing TD and 13-10 lead in second quarter

Anzalone blows up the screen pass to Pacheco, then Mahomes finds Brown near the sideline for 13 yards on the last play before the two-minute warning. After the timeout, it's a returning Joseph who gets the tackle on a 2-yard run by Pacheco, then Kelce makes an 8-yard reception for a first down. The pass to Worthy is way too far and incomplete on first down, then Kelce drops the ball as it's third-and-10. The pass to Kelce is incomplete but Rock Ya-Sin is called for pass interference for a fresh set of downs. Mahomes threads the needle on a pass to Kelce as he's a yard short of the end zone with the Lions needs to use their second timeout of the half with 40 seconds left. Mahomes keeps it himself and fakes the toss for the rushing touchdown as the Chiefs retake the lead and this extra point is good. (37 seconds remaining)

Detroit takes over from their own 20 after the stop, as Gibbs gets 5 yards on a first-down run but only gets a yard on second down. Goff steps up for on a third-down scramble and shows the wheels to get the first down. Gibbs gets a big hole for a 15-yard run, then on the next play somehow stays up and fights for 6 yards. After Goff throws it in the dirt on second down, Montgomery is stopped for 2 yards as the Lions offense stays in for fourth-and-2. Goff's pass to St. Brown is too low and incomplete as it's back-to-back fourth down stops for both of these defenses. (2:42)

Chiefs start from their own 31 after the kickoff return, as on first down Mahomes escapes the sack attempt from Aidan Hutchinson and finds a wide-open Hollywood Brown for 20 yards. Mahomes then finds Noah Gray for 6 yards as Kerby Joseph is sitting on the field with an injury as a timeout is taken. Joseph walked slowly to the sideline with knee troubles, then on third-and-4 it's Alex Anzalone wrapping up Kareen Hunt to make it fourth-and-1. Hunt takes it inside and gets the first down as Joseph helped off the sidelines as he's limping. Chiefs do some trickery as Mahomes scrambles for another first down, then Hutchinson strips Mahomes but the Chiefs recover as it's third-and-18 now. Smith-Schuster catches a screen pass and runs ahead for another fourth-and-short as the Chiefs use their first timeout with 7:01 left. Mahomes rolls away but the pass is broken up by Thomas Harper as the Lions take over. (6:55)

Goff and Williams connect for 22-yard TD, Lions take 10-6 second-quarter lead against Chiefs

(Start of 2nd Quarter) Montgomery starts the second quarter with two big runs for 19 total yards, then St. Brown only gains a yard on a second-down reception. It's third-and-3 and Goff again gets time to find Williams down the middle, as he fights ahead for the touchdown. It's a 22-yard touchdown reception as Bates easily hits the extra point. (12:49)

Lions, Chiefs both score on opening drives, but Detroit trails, 6-3, after one quarter

Just in case anyone was wondering...yes, Taylor Swift is at the game. Anyway, Detroit starts from its own 29 as Montgomery's first carry of the night goes for 3 yards. Goff gets plenty of time and throws a strike to LaPorta for 26 yards on the last play of this opening quarter. (End of 1st Quarter)

Mahomes, Chiefs answer with quick touchdown drive, Lions down 6-3 late in first quarter

Kansas City starts from their own 30, with Isiah Pacheco getting just a yard on a first-down run. Patrick Mahomes finds Travis Kelce for 15 yards, then JuJu Smith-Schuster gets open for a big 30-yard gain. Now at the Detroit 24, Pacheco runs outside for 11 yards and another first down. Pacheco gets 2 yards on first down, then Mahomes throws it away on second down. Mahomes then scrambles for 5 yards on third down, as the Chiefs go for it on fourth-and-3 as he finds a wide-open Xavier Worthy for the 6-yard touchdown pass. Harrison Butker misses the extra point but the Chiefs take the lead. (1:11)

Lions pull off opening drive that lasts nearly 10 minutes, TD is called back due to penalty as they settle for FG to take early lead

(Start of game) Jahmyr Gibbs' first two carries goes for 5 total yards to make it third-and-5, where Jared Goff finds an open Sam LaPorta against that Chiefs blitz for 11 yards and a first down. Gibbs gets four more yards on a first down run, then Jameson Williams gets open on an out route for 7 yards and another first down. Now at the Kansas City 44, Williams gets open again before flipping ahead on a 15-yard reception to move the chains again. Bryan Cook makes a good play to stop the Amon-Ra St. Brown end around for just 2 yards, but Gibbs runs inside for 6 yards as it's now third-and-2. Gibbs fights ahead for the first down. The Lions pull out the St. Brown-to-Gibbs toss again for just 3 yards on first down, but Gibbs gets the last 7 yards to make it first-and-goal with 9 yards to go. They give it to Gibbs three straight times but he can't get in, as it's fourth-and-goal and the Lions use their first timeout with 5:25 remaining as the play clock expired. They pull out a different play, and it's David Montgomery throwing a screen pass to Goff for the touchdown, but the officials throw the flag and call illegal motion on Goff. After a delay of game penalty, Jake Bates hits the 28-yard field goal as the Lions score on a long opening drive.

Kickoff

Waiting all day for Sunday night, and now it's here as the Lions visit the Chiefs for a big prime-time game. It's not 2023, but it looks similar to that game as Detroit is in its all-white uniforms while the Chiefs put on their red home uniforms with white pants. The Lions won the toss and in a twist, they decide to start with the ball. Craig Reynolds spins off a tackle before being taken down from behind at the Detroit 29.

Preview

The Lions look to continue their winning streak, now at four games, heading to Arrowhead Stadium for a Sunday Night Football showdown against the Chiefs.

Detroit has recent history in Kansas City, defeating the Chiefs in the 2023 NFL season opener to send a message that they were now in the elite class of the league. Both the Lions and the Chiefs have been two of the best teams over the past few seasons. But while Kansas City has made three straight Super Bowl appearances, and five in the last six years, Detroit is still searching for its first appearance in the big game.

But this game has an added twist. While the Lions took care of a reeling Bengals squad to sit at 4-1 and re-establish themselves as Super Bowl contenders, the Chiefs are 2-3 and looking just to stay in the early AFC playoff picture.

Detroit will definitely have their hands full for this game. Despite Jared Goff's 2-0 record against Patrick Mahomes, the Lions must lean on a banged-up secondary to deal with the future Hall of Fame quarterback, and are dealing with problems from their offensive line with left tackle Taylor Decker still injured.

Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Kameron Goodwill.

Lions at Chiefs

▶ Kickoff: 8:20 p.m. Sunday, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

▶ TV/radio: NBC/97.1 FM

▶ Line: Chiefs by 1½

▶ Records: Lions are 4-1; Chiefs are 2-3

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