Tennessee Titans vs Detroit Lions Match Player Stats (Oct 27, 2024)

Detroit demolished Tennessee 52-14 at Ford Field on October 27, 2024, in a game where turnovers and special teams made all the difference. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 127 yards and a 70-yard touchdown on just 11 carries, while Calvin Ridley caught 10 passes for 143 yards in a losing effort. Kalif Raymond torched Tennessee’s coverage units for 190 punt return yards with a touchdown, and Jared Goff threw three scores despite posting just 85 passing yards as Detroit improved to 6-1.

Game Summary

The Lions scored 35 first-half points and cruised to their fifth consecutive victory. Tennessee turned the ball over four times and gave up massive special teams plays that flipped field position all afternoon. The Titans actually outgained Detroit 416 to 225 in total offense but couldn’t overcome their mistakes.

Score by Quarter

Detroit’s 52 points came on just 225 total yards, the fewest yards for any team scoring 50 or more since 1948 according to Pro Football Reference.

How the Momentum Shifted

This game started closer than the final score suggests. Tennessee tied it 7-7 on Mason Rudolph’s 11-yard scramble, then again at 14-14 on a Nick Westbrook-Ikhine touchdown catch. The Titans stayed competitive through the first 17 minutes. But Jahmyr Gibbs’ 70-yard touchdown run shifted momentum permanently, and two turnovers in a three-minute span during the second quarter cracked the game wide open. Kerby Joseph’s interception led to a quick touchdown, and a 72-yard kickoff return by Khalil Dorsey set up another score. What began as a competitive game turned into a blowout before halftime.

Passing Stats

Tennessee Titans Passing

Mason Rudolph made his second straight start for injured Will Levis and threw for 266 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. His best throws went to Calvin Ridley, who he targeted 15 times throughout the game. Ridley consistently found soft spots in Detroit’s zone coverage, and Rudolph connected with him for gains of 47, 26, 14, 13, and 12 yards. The quarterback also scored on an 11-yard scramble in the first quarter that fooled Detroit’s defense completely.

The two interceptions ended Tennessee’s momentum. Trevor Nowaske picked him off on the Titans’ opening drive, giving Detroit possession at the Tennessee 23-yard line. Kerby Joseph grabbed another early in the second quarter that led directly to a Detroit touchdown. “I’ve got to protect the ball better and put our defense in a better situation,” Rudolph said after the game. Tennessee has now thrown at least one interception in every game this season.

Detroit Lions Passing

Goff’s stat line makes no sense until you understand the context. He completed 12 of 15 passes for just 85 yards but threw three touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 129.9 passer rating. Detroit had 42 points before Goff reached 28 passing yards early in the third quarter. Short fields from turnovers and special teams returns meant the offense never needed to drive far. Tennessee’s front seven got pressure, sacking Goff four times, but it didn’t matter.

The 30-year-old quarterback has put together historic numbers recently. He’s completed 83 percent of his passes over his last five games with a 146.5 passer rating during that stretch. Both marks are NFL records for any five-game span with at least 50 attempts according to The Sporting News. His October passer rating of 149.8 is the highest ever recorded in that month. Goff now ranks second in the NFL with a 115.3 season passer rating, trailing only Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. David Montgomery threw a three-yard touchdown to Sam LaPorta on a trick play that gave Detroit a 35-14 halftime lead.

Rushing Stats

Tennessee Titans Rushing

Despite falling behind by multiple scores, Tony Pollard showed why Tennessee signed him this offseason. His 94 yards on 20 carries represented his best game in a Titans uniform, gaining yards after contact even as the deficit grew insurmountable. Pollard averaged 4.7 yards per carry and caught three passes for 23 additional yards out of the backfield. Tennessee averaged 4.9 yards per rush as a team, but they fell so far behind that the ground game became irrelevant. Julius Chestnut added 32 yards on seven carries in relief during the fourth quarter.

Detroit Lions Rushing

How do you average 11.5 yards per carry? For Gibbs, it started with one explosive play. Trailing 7-7 late in the first quarter, he took a handoff and exploded up the left side, finding a seam through Tennessee’s defense for the 70-yard touchdown that gave Detroit a 14-7 lead they never relinquished.

The second-year back out of Alabama finished with 127 yards on just 11 carries, an 11.5 average. Gibbs became the fourth player in NFL history to average at least 5.0 yards per carry with a minimum of 10 attempts in six straight games, joining Adrian Peterson (2012), Chris Johnson (2009), and Franco Harris (1972). He now has 591 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns through seven games while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Montgomery added a seven-yard touchdown run and threw the trick-play touchdown pass. Detroit has now rushed for 100-plus yards and a rushing touchdown in each of their first seven games, the first time they’ve done that since 1936.

Receiving Stats

Tennessee Titans Receiving

Tennessee found offensive success through the air, even if it didn’t translate to points. Calvin Ridley matched a career high with 10 receptions and posted a season-high 143 yards. He surpassed 100 receiving yards in the first quarter alone, consistently working between zones in Detroit’s coverage on intermediate routes. The veteran receiver became Rudolph’s security blanket, accounting for 15 of Tennessee’s 38 pass attempts. That 39 percent target share shows how heavily the Titans leaned on Ridley to keep them competitive. His 47-yard catch down the left sideline was Tennessee’s longest play from scrimmage all afternoon and kept the game close early.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine caught a five-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to tie the game 14-14. Josh Whyle added two catches for 33 yards, including a long reception on Tennessee’s opening touchdown drive. The passing game worked early, but turnovers and special teams breakdowns made the yardage meaningless.

Detroit Lions Receiving

Sam LaPorta caught all six of his targets for 48 yards and a touchdown. The second-year tight end forced three missed tackles after the catch and converted four first downs with his receptions. He caught the trick-play touchdown pass from David Montgomery that gave Detroit a commanding 35-14 halftime lead. Kalif Raymond caught a seven-yard touchdown from Goff in the third quarter, becoming the first player in Lions franchise history to score both a receiving touchdown and punt return touchdown in the same game. Six different Lions caught passes, and four scored touchdowns.

Defensive Stats

What happens when your offense keeps giving the opponent the ball in your territory? Tennessee’s defense faced short fields all afternoon after turnovers and special teams breakdowns. Detroit started drives inside Tennessee territory repeatedly, making it nearly impossible for the Titans to get stops.

Tennessee Titans Defense

Arden Key was Tennessee’s best defender on the field. He recorded two sacks, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits. Key beat Taylor Decker on Detroit’s first offensive snap for an immediate sack. He finished with six total tackles and forced a fumble. Jeffery Simmons added a sack and stripped Goff in the third quarter, though the Lions recovered. Jack Gibbens finished with eight total tackles, while safeties Quandre Diggs and Amani Hooker each had seven.

Detroit Lions Defense

Jack Campbell led all defenders with 11 total tackles. Kerby Joseph grabbed his fifth interception of the season in the second quarter, returning it 33 yards and setting up a Detroit touchdown that extended the lead to 28-14. The third-year safety out of Illinois now has 13 career interceptions through his first three seasons, tied for the third most by a Lions player since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger. Trevor Nowaske picked off Mason Rudolph on Tennessee’s opening drive at the Titans 23-yard line. Detroit’s defense forced four turnovers while holding Tennessee to just two red zone scores on four attempts.

Turnovers and Special Teams

The stat that decided this game above all others: four Tennessee turnovers, zero for Detroit.

Turnover Comparison

Three of those turnovers led directly to Detroit touchdowns, turning potential Tennessee drives into points for the Lions. The Lions now have 15 takeaways through seven games, trailing only Green Bay’s 19 for the league lead. Detroit has a plus-10 turnover differential on the season, second only to Buffalo’s plus-11.

Punt Returns

Kalif Raymond absolutely dominated. His 190 yards on five returns averaged 38 yards per return, finishing just 17 yards short of LeRoy Irvin’s NFL single-game record of 207 set in 1981. The 90-yard touchdown in the third quarter came when Raymond caught Ryan Stonehouse’s punt at his own 10-yard line, found an opening, and used his speed to outrun Tennessee’s coverage team. It was the second longest punt return in Lions franchise history and the longest at Ford Field since 1963. He also had a 64-yard return in the second quarter that set up another Detroit touchdown. SI.com reported Detroit became just the third team since 1941 to record both a 90-yard punt return and 70-yard kickoff return in the same game.

Kick Returns and Kicking

Khalil Dorsey returned the second-quarter kickoff 72 yards to the Tennessee 25-yard line, setting up an eight-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Brock Wright. Jake Bates nailed a 51-yard field goal and improved to 11 for 11 on the season, passing Riley Patterson for the most consecutive field goals to start a Lions tenure.

Team Stats Comparison

Tennessee outgained Detroit by 191 yards, held the ball for more than 11 extra minutes, and recorded six more first downs. But the four turnovers and special teams breakdowns erased those advantages completely. Detroit went a perfect 5 for 5 in the red zone while Tennessee converted just 2 of 4 chances. That 50 percentage point difference in red zone efficiency explains the 38-point margin better than total yardage ever could. The Lions committed just three penalties for 29 yards compared to Tennessee’s eight penalties for 60 yards.

Championship Implications

Detroit’s dominant performance continues their historic offensive surge. The Lions have now scored 172 points over their last four games, the most in any four-game stretch in franchise history. The Lions are averaging more than 40 points per game during their current five-game winning streak. Coach Dan Campbell praised his team’s balance: “We play with three units and when a couple of them are humming at the right time, it can bail out one of your units,” per the Lions official site.

Tennessee fell to 1-6 with their third straight loss. The Titans traded away DeAndre Hopkins and Ernest Jones Jr. before this game, signaling a full rebuild. “You’re going to get blown out by every team in the league turning the ball over four times,” Titans coach Brian Callahan said, according to the team’s official recap. “We just don’t complement each other at all.”

Detroit’s 6-1 start matches their best seven-game record since 1956, when they went on to win the NFL Championship. The Lions sit atop the NFC North and own the conference’s best record heading into a massive Week 9 showdown at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. That game will determine early control of the division. Tennessee welcomes the New England Patriots to Nissan Stadium, hoping to end their three-game skid.

Detroit’s explosive offense, opportunistic defense, and game-changing special teams make them legitimate Super Bowl contenders. This performance against Tennessee showcased all three phases working together perfectly. Detroit’s upcoming offensive trends and statistical breakout performances throughout the season receive comprehensive coverage at Newzire’s sports section, where game recaps and player analysis track the NFL’s top teams. Complete box scores and play-by-play analysis from this matchup are available at ESPN’s game recap. This Week 8 performance cemented Detroit’s status as NFC contenders while Tennessee continues evaluating talent for their 2025 rebuild.