The Detroit Lions seized charge in the second quarter and easily defeated the Denver Broncos 42-17 on Saturday after neither side was able to find the end zone in the first quarter. After a difficult run of games, Lions quarterback Jared Goff recovered to throw five touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Lions’ win improved their record to 10-4 and strengthened their hold on the top spot within the NFC North. The 7–7 Broncos had trouble getting anything going on offense. Denver may still compete for a wild-card place even though they will most likely win the AFC West division. The results of each squad are broken out as follows:

After losing their previous two games, the Lions made their way back to Ford Field for a prime-time showdown against the Broncos, where head coach Sean Payton was pitted against his mentor Dan Campbell. With numerous touchdowns from youngsters Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, the Lions regained their confidence. In addition, LaPorta broke the team record with the most touchdowns received by a rookie tight end, nine. Goff held Denver’s blitz at bay, giving the Lions the upper hand as they attempt to close out the regular season on a high note. They hadn’t looked their best following the Week 9 bye.

In two words, what is the score? 10 wins. For the first time since 2014, the Lions achieved a significant milestone for the team by winning their tenth game of the regular season.

Purchase for a standout performance: Safety In addition to six tackles, two quarterback hits, two passes deflected, and a forced fumble in the first half, Ifeatu Melifonwu provided a significant boost for the defense with his strip sack of Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. The Lions defense has given up 25 points or more in five straight games heading into Saturday, the longest current skid in the National Football League.

QB breakdown: Goff performed better in prime time despite having nine interceptions in his previous four games going into Saturday. Going 24-for-34 with five touchdowns, he finished with 278 passing yards. He was on fire in the second quarter, throwing three touchdown passes. This level of performance was definitely what he needed.

Upcoming game: December 24 against Vikings.

Although the Broncos have come a long way from their 1-5 start, they were unable to overcome their unsteady run defense and erratic offense on Saturday night. The defense was unable to stave off what the Lions had in store for them on Saturday, as they let up five touchdowns after giving up 11 in the previous seven games.

The setback slightly hurts the Broncos’ chances of earning a wild-card berth since the Lions play in the NFC, but unless the Kansas City Chiefs have an unbelievable collapse, the race for the AFC West championship is probably finished.

With three three-and-outs interspersed throughout the dullness, the Broncos managed to gain 35 yards for the remainder of the half after Wilson’s catch of receiver Jerry Jeudy on their opening play from scrimmage gained them 40 yards. The Lions had 18:26 of possession time in the first half, and the Broncos defense appeared worn out as it played its third road game in 13 days on their third touchdown drive of the half.

Disturbing trend: The Broncos were among the league’s most prolific run teams for a large portion of the first half of the season. For weeks, the Miami Dolphins were the only team with a greater rate of explosive runs (10 yards or more). However, entering Saturday night’s game, they had fallen to eighth place in that statistic, and what transpired in Ford Field won’t help. Samaje Perine’s 6-yard run on his lone carry before halftime, which was still somewhat in the balance of the game, was the longest run by a Broncos running back until his 12-yarder with 6:28 remaining. Opponents put more pressure on Wilson and look for weaknesses in the pass protection when the Broncos are unable to generate offense through the run game.

The biggest gap in the game plan was that the Broncos decided to use a mix-and-match strategy against Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who entered Saturday tied for the team lead in touchdowns and led the team in catches and receiving yards. There is just one Pat Surtain II available for Denver to match up with on a wide receiver, and he was occasionally preoccupied with Jameson Williams. And notably between the hashmarks, St. Brown feasted for a hundred yards on an evening when it wasn’t Surtain across from him.

Analysis of the quarterback: Despite his struggles this season, Wilson has proven to be effective in the red zone. His touchdown pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey in the third quarter was his 26th of the season, and he entered the game tied for fifth in touchdown passes. However, the Broncos were unable to get Wilson into the red zone often enough to matter. The Lions were able to apply steady pressure after he appeared uneasy on a fumble in the first quarter. In the third quarter, while Payton was expressing his dissatisfaction to Wilson on the Broncos bench, Broncos kicker Wil Lutz lined up a 23-yard field goal attempt. It was already a difficult enough night.

Crucial play: With 12:31 remaining in the second quarter, LaPorta’s 19-yard catch-and-run score broke things free. The Broncos had made a stand early, preventing the Lions from scoring after Detroit recovered a fumble on the Denver 36-yard line. When Josey Jewell failed to make a tackle close to the Broncos sideline, LaPorta was paired up with a linebacker for the Broncos, and Goff found him. The Broncos appeared to be playing catch up the remainder of the game after a couple of missed tackles on the play, including one later on a touchdown reception by Gibbs.