How David Montgomery and DetroitLions rolled over LA Rams in overtime

On the biggest play of Sunday night, the right side of the Detroit Lions ' offensive line carved out a gaping hole, allowing David Montgomery to power into the end zone. The Lions re-established their team identity when it mattered most, in overtime of the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. After tying it in the final moments of regulation with a field goal, the Lions won the coin toss and proceeded to pound the Rams on the ground on the only possession in the extra period. The Lions ran on seven of eight plays, covering 60 yards on the winning drive.

SHAWN WINDSOR:DetroitLions finally remember their identity in OT as they bully LA Rams in 26-20 win. The Lions started the drive with a 12-yard reverse to Kalif Raymond before Montgomery took over. He finished with five carries for 45 yards in OT, starting by ripping a run behind Zeitler and Penei Sewell into the second level and breaking tackles for a 21-yard gain. He then ran through an arm tackle on the left side for a 9-yard gain, to the Rams' 28-yard line. Jahmyr Gibbs gave him a breather and got the ball to the 15 in two plays before Montgomery took back over.

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"We’re hard to break, so we did what we had to do," head coach Dan Campbell said. "And our defense held there. Before that (Lions punter Jack) Fox makes a heck of a punt and (the) defense holds, offense we get it back, and get it in overtime. We win the toss, and we don’t look back."

Montgomery took a handoff out of the shotgun to the 9-yard line, then carried defenders on the next handoff down to the 1. That set up a a dominant showing from the Lions' blockers: Frank Ragnow pancaked Kobie Turner in the middle with help from Zeitler on a double-team while Sewell drove rookie defensive end Braden Fiske yards back into the end zone and tight end Sam LaPorta held the edge. Montgomery calmly navigated the clear path for the win.

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Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22, and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.

"It was a little bit of everything," right guard Kevin Zeitler said. "We got the blocks done. David read them incredibly well and was able to punch through and break tackles too. It truly was just some things just started firing on all cylinders."