Colby Parkinson and the Los Angeles Rams picked up a controversial touchdown on Sunday afternoon to help spark a huge surge in the second half of their 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions.
The win secured a playoff spot for the Rams.
Advertisement
Parkinson, late in the third quarter at SoFi Stadium, hauled in a deep 26-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford with Lions safety Daniel Thomas right on him. Parkinson caught the ball over his left shoulder and went down seemingly just shy of the goal line. His knee was clearly down around the 1-yard line, and his body was fully short of the goal line at that point, though both he and Thomas spilled into the end zone.
Thomas immediately jumped up and tried to plead for an incomplete pass, but the official standing at the pylon felt differently.
The play was ruled a touchdown in the moment, and then was upheld after a replay review — which determined that Parkinson did in fact break the plane for the touchdown.
The touchdown was Parkinson’s fifth of the season. It put the Rams up 27-24 at the time.
Advertisement
The Rams quickly pushed their lead to double digits, at 34-24, after forcing a quick three-and-out. Stafford then led the Rams on a two-play drive that lasted less than a minute before Blake Corum broke open an 11-yard touchdown run on their next time out. That marked 20 unanswered points for the Rams, who entered halftime down by a touchdown.
Parkinson finished the game with 75 yards and two touchdowns on five catches.
His second score — an 11-yard touchdown without any doubt — kept the Lions at bay late in the fourth quarter and secured their win. He’s now up to six touchdowns in the Rams’ last six games.
Jared Goff went 25-of-41 for 338 yards with three touchdowns for the Lions. Jahmyr Gibbs had 38 yards on 13 carries, and Amon-Ra St. Brown had 163 yards and two scores on 13 catches. The Lions fell to 8-6 with the loss, which has them in third in the NFC North standings.
Advertisement
Stafford went 24-38 for 368 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the win. Kyren Williams had 78 yards and two scores on 15 carries, and Puka Nacua had 181 yards on nine catches.
The Rams now sit at 11-3 on the season, good for the best record in the NFC. They hold a narrow lead in the NFC West race, with three games left in the regular season.
Leave a Reply