The Lions needed most of the first half to find their way to the end zone, but they went into halftime with a lead after finally getting there.
Jared Goff found wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for a four-yard score with 1:36 left to play in the half to put the Lions up 10-7. The Jets were able to move the ball into Lions territory, but a pair of penalties left them to try an unsuccessful Hail Mary on the final play of the second quarter.
The Lions used a strong kickoff return by Jacob Saylors to set up their touchdown drive. It also featured Goff hitting wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa on a fourth down to get the ball inside the Jets’ 5-yard-line.
Goff is 15-of-22 for 117 yards while being sacked twice. Jahmyr Gibbs has 29 rushing yards and 41 receiving yards while St. Brown has only picked up 19 yards on his four receptions.
Geno Smith hit rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq for the Jets’ only touchdown to cap a long drive in the second quarter. The Jets’ first three possessions resulted in punts, however, and the team struggled to find chunk gains until Smith got rolling with Sadiq and the team’s other tight ends on the scoring drive.