BALTIMORE — David Montgomery gashed the Ravens defense for 151 yards on just 12 carries, Jahmyr Gibbs added two short touchdowns, and the Detroit Lions physically dominated Baltimore 38-30 on Monday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
The victory snapped a five-game losing streak against the Ravens and gave Detroit its first win in Baltimore. More importantly, it announced the Lions as legitimate contenders after questions surfaced following their season-opening loss in Green Bay.
Montgomery’s performance defined the night. The veteran running back averaged 12.6 yards per carry, ripped off a 72-yard run in the third quarter, and sealed the win with a 31-yard touchdown sprint with 1:42 remaining. His 151 yards represented a career high, surpassing his previous mark of 146.
“I just thought it was an outstanding team effort, man,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I was proud of the players, I was proud of the coaches. It’s just a huge win.”
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Running Game Takes Over
Detroit rushed for 224 yards against a Ravens front missing defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. Gibbs carried 22 times for 67 yards despite the modest average, scoring on runs of one and four yards. His second touchdown came on a fourth-and-1 pitch play from Amon-Ra St. Brown that caught Baltimore completely off guard.
The Lions offensive line gave quarterback Jared Goff a clean pocket all night. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 202 yards and wasn’t sacked once by Baltimore’s pass rush. St. Brown caught seven passes for 77 yards and an 18-yard touchdown. Jameson Williams hauled in two catches for 43 yards, while tight end Sam LaPorta added four receptions for 33 yards.
Detroit’s offensive dominance showed in their sustained drives. They marched 98 and 96 yards for touchdowns, becoming the first team since New England in 2021 to post two touchdown drives of at least 95 yards in the same game.
| Detroit Rushing | Carries | Yards | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Montgomery | 12 | 151 | 12.6 | 2 | 72 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | 22 | 67 | 3.0 | 2 | 9 |
| Total | 38 | 224 | 5.9 | 4 | 72 |
Seven Sacks Wreck Jackson’s Night
Lamar Jackson’s stat line looked impressive at first glance—21 of 27 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns. But Detroit’s defense never let him get comfortable, sacking him seven times for 55 yards in losses and hitting him repeatedly throughout the game.
Al-Quadin Muhammad led the pass rush with 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. Jack Campbell recorded eight tackles and a sack. Aidan Hutchinson, Derrick Barnes, and Trevor Nowaske each brought Jackson down once.
“Those guys were very disciplined,” Campbell said about containing Baltimore’s dual-threat quarterback. “We didn’t have anybody jumping up in the air, diving—ill-advised diving. They all bottled him up, they were disciplined, and guys made huge plays. And he had nowhere to go.”
When Jackson did connect, Mark Andrews did most of the damage. The tight end caught six passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns, including a 27-yarder with 29 seconds left that made the final score closer than the game felt. Rashod Bateman added five catches for 63 yards and a score.
Baltimore’s ground game went nowhere. Derrick Henry managed 50 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, but his fourth-quarter fumble proved costly. Jackson added 35 yards on seven attempts. The Ravens totaled just 85 rushing yards as a team.
| Baltimore Passing | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Andrews | 6 | 91 | 15.2 | 2 | 6 |
| Rashod Bateman | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 1 | 7 |
| Justice Hill | 3 | 45 | 15.0 | 0 | 4 |
Fourth-Down Gambles Pay Off
Campbell’s aggressive approach showed up in critical moments. Detroit converted all three fourth-down attempts, including a gutsy call on fourth-and-2 from their own 49-yard line with the score 31-24 and under two minutes remaining.
Goff hit St. Brown for 20 yards on that play, moving the chains and setting up Montgomery’s clinching score two plays later.
“I got a tremendous amount of trust in those guys, and that’s been built up now in five years,” Campbell said.
The Lions also converted fourth-and-1 from Baltimore’s 4-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter. St. Brown took what looked like a jet sweep, then pitched to Gibbs for an easy score that put Detroit ahead 28-21.
Ravens Defense Pushed Around
Baltimore (1-2) entered the game without Madubuike, cornerback Jaire Alexander, tight end Isaiah Likely, and linebacker Kyle Van Noy. The absences showed, particularly up front where Detroit’s offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage.
Kyle Hamilton led the Ravens with nine tackles. John Jenkins and Teddye Buchanan each recorded eight stops. Roquan Smith added seven tackles and a tackle for loss, but Baltimore’s defense couldn’t get off the field when it mattered.
“The biggest problem is we didn’t play good defense,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “There’s nobody in that locker room that thinks that’s good enough. That’s not who we are. It cannot be who we are. It’s not good enough, it’s not acceptable.”
The loss dropped Baltimore to 1-2 heading into a brutal stretch that includes games against Kansas City, Houston, and Los Angeles. It also marked just the fourth home loss in 26 prime-time games under Harbaugh.
Detroit improved to 2-1 and heads home to face Cleveland. The Lions outgained Baltimore 426-373 in total yards and proved they can win different types of games after putting up 52 points the previous week against Chicago.
Montgomery’s night epitomized Detroit’s physical approach. On a team built to pound opponents into submission, his 151 yards on 12 carries showed exactly how Campbell wants his offense to operate when the game matters most.
