BALTIMORE — The Detroit Lions have their first statement win of 2025, beating the Baltimore Ravens 38-30 on Monday Night Football in Week 3.
Right out of the gate, you could tell this game was going to be much different than the Lions’ 38-6 blowout loss to the Ravens on the road in 2023. After an exciting first half that ended up tied 14-14, it was the Lions who made all the huge plays down the stretch to ice the game.
Both the offense and defense had big moments for the Lions, with new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard coming up with a great game plan to slow down Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, and new offensive coordinator John Morton leading a fiery attack.
Both teams entered Week 3 with a 1-1 record, but it was clear throughout the night these are two of the top teams in the league, particularly on offense, even if the stats weren’t gaudy.
The Lions finished with 427 total yards, including an 18-play, 98-yard drive that might be the most impressive drive any team has this season. The Ravens, meanwhile, weren’t quite as efficient, but were still tough to stop, racking up 318 total yards.
Goff finished with 202 yards and a touchdown through the air and was in control all day, while two-time MVP Lamar Jackson had 288 yards through the air and 35 yards on the ground.
In the end, it came down to who could make some timely defensive plays, and the Lions made multiple of them, including an impressive goal-line stand in the second quarter to maintain a 14-7 lead and again in the fourth quarter when Aidan Hutchinson stripped Henry to put the Lions in scoring position.
The Lions will be back in action next week on Sunday, Sept. 28, hosting the Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. at Ford Field.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions score: Ravens can’t stop Lions on Monday Night Football
