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    • Detroit Lions Game Balls: David Montgomery Delivers Victory
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    Detroit Lions Game Balls: David Montgomery Delivers Victory

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    Free Press sports reporter Dave Birkett hands out game balls for some of the best performances in the Detroit Lions’ 26-20 overtime win over the Rams on Sunday at Ford Field.

    David Montgomery

    Jared Goff said the Lions’ plan in overtime was simple. “Just give it to D-Mo, man. A battering ram. Just give it to him and he did the rest, and it was fun.”

    Montgomery ran for 91 yards on 17 carries on Sunday and scored the game-winning 1-yard touchdown on the lone possession of overtime. He carried five times on the eight-play drive for 46 yards and was the offensive tone-setter on a day the Lions struggled to find a consistent rhythm.

    Montgomery is sometimes overlooked in an offense filled with more flashy stars, but he’s been the most consistent player in Detroit over the past 18 months and gives the Lions some much-needed versatility in their ground game.

    “He’s just reliable,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He runs heavy, he’s tough, he’s physical, he gets into a rhythm and I think he’s a catalyst for us. He’s starting to carry it and he’s getting better and better and I think the line takes advantage of him and he takes advantage of them, and we get what we get. The guy’s a great guy. He’s a great guy.”

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    Alex Anzalone

    Aidan Hutchinson had a great day and Marcus Davenport impressed in his Lions debut, but Anzalone set the tone for the Lions on defense from the start, as did Montgomery on offense.

    He had tackles for loss on two of the Rams’ first three plays and finished with a game-high 13 tackles (three for loss). Anzalone has some of the team’s best instincts. He made a pair of bone-rattling hits on Sunday and was a big reason the Lions held capable Rams running back Kyren Williams to 50 yards on 18 carries (2.9 yards per tote).

    Matthew Stafford

    Stafford was dynamite in last year’s playoff loss to the Lions and almost single-handedly led the Rams to victory on Sunday, completing 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards and holding up to a battering — 12 quarterback hits — behind a shorthanded offensive line and after losing his top receiver, Puka Nacua, to injury.

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    Stafford was beloved during his 12 seasons in Detroit, but underrated because he never led the Lions to playoff success. He won a ring in his first year in L.A. and has continued to improve his game in the seasons since.

    Stafford threw one bad interception and missed Cooper Kupp on a third-and-10 pass late in the fourth quarter to decide the game, but the Rams wouldn’t be playoff contenders if they hadn’t had him.

    “I thought he played fantastic and played hard, hitting shot after shot, getting up and making unbelievable throws,” Campbell said.

    Dave Birkett is the author of the new book “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Pre-order now from Reedy Press.

    Contact him via [email protected]Follow him on X and Instagram via @davebirkett.

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