Lions spoil Chiefs’ celebration of Super Bowl title by rallying for a 21-20 win in NFL’s opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jared Goff threw for 253 yards and a touchdown, new Lions running back David Montgomery ran for the go-ahead score with 5:05 remaining in the game, and Detroit held on for a sloppy 21-20 victory over the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL’s season opener Thursday night.

Amon-Ra St. Brown had six catches for 71 yards and a score, and Lions rookie Brian Branch returned Patrick Mahomes‘ first pick in an opener 50 yards for another touchdown as Detroit snapped the Chiefs‘ eight-game Week 1 winning streak.

The Lions were trying to run out the clock when Goff had a fourth-down pass near midfield batted down with 2:30 left, giving the Chiefs a chance. But they made a mess of it: Kadarius Toney dropped a potential 20-yard gain, another 20-yard pass was called back for holding, and Skyy Moore also dropped a pass before a false start left Mahomes heaving a fourth-and-25 throw downfield.

When it fell incomplete and Detroit took over, Montgomery ran for a first down that allowed the Lions to run out the clock.

Mahomes finished with 226 yards passing and two touchdowns, despite his receivers dripping a slew of passes. He also was the leading rusher for the Chiefs, whose self-inflicted wounds proved too much to overcome.