Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lions offense bounces back in blowout win over Broncos

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 12/17/23

That's more like it.

After a week of being called pretenders following a one-sided loss to the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions bounced back in a big way on Saturday night. Looking better on both sides of the ball, they took out their frustrations on the Denver Broncos (7-7), winning going away, 42-17.

While the defense shut out the Broncos in the first half and kept them under wraps the majority of the game, the resurgence of the Lions' offense stood out in their Week 15 win.

Everyone got involved for the Lions as QB Jared Goff and his weapons finished with impressive stat lines.

Goff had arguably one of the best outings of his career, tying a career-high with five touchdown passes. Finishing with 278 passing yards and zero interceptions, Goff joined Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud as the only QB this season to throw for five scores in a game without being picked off.

Meanwhile, Goff became only the second QB in Lions history to record a five-TD, zero-interception game. Per Stathead, Matthew Stafford was the first, accomplishing the feat in a 45-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles during Week 12 of the 2015 campaign.

Jared Goff's first 5-TD game since 2018!

: #DENvsDET on @NFLNetwork
: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/vtmfEKvOLy pic.twitter.com/R3srOrkaHw
— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2023

Goff connected with eight different receivers on Saturday, but wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta were his favorite targets against the Broncos.

St. Brown led the team with seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, while LaPorta had a monster outing, recording five catches for 56 yards and three scores to put himself in Hall of Fame company.

Meanwhile, the Lions also got their rushing attack going. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs carried the football 11 times for 100 yards (9.1 YPA) while adding two TDs, one on the ground and one through the air.

The Lions improve to 10-4, and a playoff berth is closer than ever. However, the offense's performance was potentially as important as their win over the Broncos.

Before Saturday, the perception of the Lions was changing, and not for the better. Now, they're seemingly back on the right path and with the postseason approaching, it couldn't come at a better time.

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