Matthew Stafford rallies Rams to 41-34 victory over Lions, clinching another playoff berth

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams faced their biggest deficit in more than two months when they fell 10 points behind Detroit with 30 seconds left in the first half. Even worse, both their offense and their defense felt they were letting each other down.

That's when Matthew Stafford reminded his sideline that a big comeback must start small.

“Let's go steal three (points),” Stafford told his teammates before he led a brisk five-play drive for a field goal as time expired.

The Rams rode that momentum into a phenomenal second half on both sides of the ball that ended with Los Angeles officially headed back to the playoffs.

Matthew Stafford passed for 368 yards and hit Colby Parkinson for two touchdowns, and the NFC-leading Rams became the first team to clinch a postseason berth with a 41-34 victory Sunday.

Kyren Williams rushed for two scores and Blake Corum added another TD for the Rams (11-3), who put up 20 consecutive points while seizing control of their eighth victory in nine games.

“When we're firing on all cylinders ... man,” said nose tackle Kobie Turner, who had a key sack of Jared Goff. “You put your foot on the gas, and you leave everybody behind.”

Puka Nacua had nine catches for 181 yards for Los Angeles, which is headed to the playoffs for the third straight year and for the seventh time in coach Sean McVay's nine seasons.

After throwing his fifth interception of the season in the first half, Stafford ruthlessly led the Rams to victory in the second. He heard chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” from the SoFi Stadium crowd after hitting Parkinson for an 11-yard score with 4:49 to play.

Amon-Ra St. Brown scorched his hometown team for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions for the Lions (8-6), who were held to 125 yards in the second half. Goff passed for 338 yards and three TDs, but Detroit has alternated wins and losses since Week 5, endangering its hopes for a third straight playoff berth.

“We’re resilient,” Goff said. “We really are, and I expect us to bounce back from this, and we still have plenty of stuff in front of us. We’ve got a great group that can win a championship here.”

Jameson Williams caught a 31-yard TD pass and had seven receptions for 134 yards. David Montgomery also scored with 2:42 to play to make it close — but the Rams got a first down to exhaust the Lions' timeouts, preventing a last-second comeback.

“Third quarter was rough on us,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said. “They got a jump on us that we couldn’t overcome. Nacua had a huge day. We couldn’t slow him down. Stafford played at a really high level, which we knew he would if we couldn’t disrupt him, and more importantly, stop the run. We weren’t able to do that.”

Detroit’s offense dominated the first half, averaging 8.5 yards per play and taking a 24-14 lead shortly before halftime. St. Brown caught a 17-yard touchdown pass set up by Aidan Hutchinson's 58-yard interception return in the first quarter, and the Orange County native scored again in the second before finishing the first half with nine catches for 127 yards.

But Parkinson caught a 26-yard TD pass late in the third quarter to put the Rams back ahead. His second TD catch in the fourth quarter was his sixth in his past six games, surpassing the veteran tight end's total TDs in his first 5 1/2 NFL seasons.

Kyren Williams scored on consecutive drives before the first half got away from the Rams. USC product St. Brown scored his second TD on an 8-yard catch before Jameson Williams got open comfortably for his long scoring catch 30 seconds before halftime, sending the Rams to their first double-digit deficit since Week 5.

But after Harrison Mevis made field goals on either side of halftime, Los Angeles reclaimed the lead on Parkinson's sprawling TD catch in tight coverage.

The Rams forced a punt and went 50 yards in two plays for another score, with Nacua's 39-yard catch setting up Corum's TD run.

Stafford and the Rams controlled the second half even while losing both of their star receivers in the fourth quarter.

Davante Adams injured his hamstring while running a long route with 12:36 to play, and Nacua left due to cramps one snap before Parkinson’s second TD. Nacua returned for the Rams’ final series.

Lions: CB Amik Robertson hurt his hand in the second half and didn't finish the game.

Rams: Adams, the NFL's leader in TD receptions, has been limited by hamstring injuries twice already this season.

Lions: Host Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Rams: At Seattle on Thursday for the overall NFC lead.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is tackled by Detroit Lions middle linebacker Alex Anzalone, top left, and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) makes a catch over Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Katie Chin)

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) scores a rushing touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) runs over Detroit Lions safety Erick Hallett (36) after a catch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Katie Chin)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Katie Chin)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A combined missile and drone attack on the Kyiv region killed at least four people and wounded at least 15 overnight into Saturday, according to the head of the regional administration for the Ukrainian capital.

Three of the wounded were in critical condition, of whom two were undergoing surgery, Mykola Kalashnyk reported on Saturday. The attack hit four districts, damaging residential buildings, educational institutions, enterprises and critical infrastructure, Kalashnyk added in a social media post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the main target for the overnight strikes was "the energy infrastructure of the Kyiv region.” He said Russia launched around 430 drones of various types during the night, as well as 68 missiles.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday said the nighttime strikes targeted energy and industrial facilities serving Ukraine's armed forces, as well as military airfields.

The strikes came days after the U.S. postponed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine scheduled for this week, citing the war in the Middle East.

As U.S. and Israeli missiles and bombs rain on Iran, Russia has responded with words of indignation but no action to support its ally. Moscow’s failure to help another ally, after the 2024 ouster of former Syrian ruler Bashar Assad and January’s U.S. arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, highlighted the limits of its influence — but the Kremlin expects to reap benefits from the Iran war.

Russia is already profiting from a surge in global energy prices, and could hope that the Mideast war will detract attention from Ukraine and deplete Western arsenals.

Zelenskyy on Saturday called on Kyiv's Western partners to pay “one hundred percent attention” to the need to boost the production of air defense missiles.

“Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine," he said in a post on social media.

"We must be fully aware of the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly, namely: in Europe, we need to develop the production of air defense missiles — especially those capable of countering ballistic threats — as well as all other systems necessary to truly protect lives,” he said.

Kyiv is also awaiting White House approval for a major drone production agreement proposed by Ukraine last year, Zelenskyy said Thursday, as countries scramble to modernize their air defenses after the Iran war exposed shortcomings.

Also on Thursday, Zelenskyy criticized the 30-day U.S. waiver on Russian oil sanctions amid the war in the Middle East, saying it is “not the right decision” and won’t help bring a stop to Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

“This easing alone by the United States could provide Russia with about $10 billion for the war,” Zelenskyy said. “This certainly does not help peace.”

Overnight into Saturday, Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery and port in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, local Russian officials reported.

Krasnodar authorities said three people were hurt in a strike on Port Kavkaz, a port opposite Crimea used to ship liquefied natural gas and grains. A service vessel and pier infrastructure were damaged, they said in a social media post. One person was hospitalized, they added in a separate post later.

Falling drone debris also sparked a fire at the region’s Afipsky oil refinery, authorities said in a separate Telegram post. They said no one was hurt, but did not immediately comment on damage.

Earlier this week, Russian and Ukrainian officials both claimed front-line progress, with Ukraine saying it pushed Moscow’s forces back across places on the front line and the Kremlin insisting Russia’s invasion of its neighbor is making progress.

Firefighters put out the fire at railway workshops following a Russia missile and drone attack, in Brovary close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Firefighters put out the fire at railway workshops following a Russia missile and drone attack, in Brovary, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Firefighters put out the fire at a residential neighbourhood following a Russia missile and drone attack, in Brovary, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint presser with France's President Emmanuel Macron, not pictured, following a bilateral meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, Friday March 13, 2026. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)