Detroit (10-4) entered Saturday night's game against Denver atop the NFC North with a firm lead on the division -- something that didn't change after a dominant, 42-17 victory.
This marked a notable bright spot for the Lions, who had lost two of their past three games, though it has not affected how strongly they rank in the standings as they head down the final stretch approaching what could be a narrow postseason race. Before this, the Lions had most recently recorded a 28-13 loss to the Bears.
The Broncos failed to deliver on an upswing after they defeated the Chargers 24-7 on Sunday. Denver had gone 4-1 in the five games preceding Saturday's contest.
One of the biggest things to watch in this one was expected to be the performance of Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, who has performed well in his first year under head coach Sean Payton. He came into the game completing 67.2% of his passes for 2,609 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He and the offensive unit as a whole were lackluster, though, as Wilson finished the game 18-of-32 passing for 223 yards with one touchdown. Instead, Lions quarterback Jared Goff stole the show as he completed 24-of-34 passes for 278 yards and five touchdowns, becoming the fourth player this season to post multiple halves of three passing touchdowns. He joins Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields and Justin Herbert.
Defensively, the Lions also looked as advertised as they only gave up two touchdowns to the Broncos, averaging 15.6 points per game over the previous seven games.
MORE: Watch Broncos vs. Lions live on Fubo (free trial in U.S.)
The Sporting News tracked scoring updates and highlights for Broncos vs. Lions on Saturday night.
Broncos vs. Lions score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| Lions | 0 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
Broncos vs. Lions final score, highlights from Saturday night game
(All times Eastern)
Lions 42, Broncos 17
11:20 p.m.: The final drive of the game for the Broncos goes for four plays and 26 yards, ending on a 9-yard rush by Perine.
11:12 p.m.: Skipper reports as eligible on the play. Goff hits LaPorta for the 10-yard passing touchdown.
11 p.m.: Wilson connects with Humphrey for 8 yards to the Detroit 14. Kevin Dorsey was injured on the play.
10:50 p.m.: Wilson takes it in for the one-yard touchdown.
10:39 p.m.: The Lions continue their dominant offensive performance with a 12-yard touchdown by Gibbs, putting this one on ice in a sense with the absolute stagnancy Denver has shown on offense all night long.
10:35 p.m.: Heading into the fourth quarter, Wilson is 13-of-23 passing for 157 yards with 1 touchdown. Goff is 22-of-31 passing for 258 yards with 4 touchdowns.
Lions 28, Broncos 10
10:33 p.m.: The third quarter ends on a 7-yard right end by Montgomery.
10:26 p.m.: Burton's 1-yard touchdown run is nullified by a penalty and the Broncos settle for a 23-yard field goal by Lutz.
10:20 p.m.: Jared Goff hits Sam LaPorta for the 3-yard touchdown pass to the right.
10:02 p.m.: A 10-play, 31-yard drive ends in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey.
Lions 21, Broncos 0
09:47 p.m.: Jared Goff has become the fourth player this season to post multiple halves of 3 passing touchdowns. He joins Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields and Justin Herbert.
09:41 p.m.: Jared Goff connects with Amon-Ra St. Brown for 15-yard touchdown pass to the right, bringing the Lions to a three-score lead in the final seconds of the second quarter.
09:31 p.m.: Denver faces 3rd&1 with two minutes remaining in the first half after David Montgomery's 1-yard rush to the Denver 33, followed by two more runs by Montgomery for a total of 15 yards as the team hopes to put its first points of the game on the board before halftime.
09:18 p.m.: Russell Wilson has experienced something of a resurgence in his first year under head coach Sean Payton, but the passing game and offense overall has been lackluster to this point. Wilson is 3-of-8 passing for 71 yards to this point with a fumble.
09:10 p.m.: Jared Goff's 9-yard pass to Jahmyr Gibbs is complete for the touchdown as the Lions have built a double-digit lead nearly halfway through the second quarter.
09:00 p.m.: Jared Goff hits Sam LaPorta for the 19-yard touchdown, marking the first score of the game.
Lions 0, Broncos 0
08:35 p.m.: Russell Wilson's second pass of the ensuing drive intended for Jerry Jeudy falls incomplete and Denver returns Detroit's three-and-out.
08:27 p.m.: Detroit fails to capitalize on the turnover, going three-and-out on the following drive.
08:24 p.m.: Russell Wilson is sacked and fumbles the ball, recovered by Lions defender Isaiah Buggs. Detroit will take over at the Denver 37.
08:19 p.m.: The Lions' first offensive possession ends in a 35-yard punt after two first downs on the drive. The Broncos and Russell Wilson will take the field at their own 15 for their first offensive possession of the evening.
Pregame: The Lions have won the toss and have chosen to receive.
Pregame: Broncos TE Greg Dulcich (hamstring) has been on IR since Oct. 21, and returned to practice Wednesday, but will not play this week.
Pregame: Broncos arrive at Ford Field
Pregame: Lions arrive at Ford Field
Pregame: Lions inactives are CB Steven Gilmore, CB Chase Lucas, K Riley Patterson, DL Charles Harris, LB Trevor Nowaske and WR Antoine Green.
Pregame: Broncos inactives for Saturday night are TE Nate Adkins, OLB Nik Bonitto, QB Ben DiNucci, C Alex Forsyth, DE Elijah Garcia, LB Ben Niemann S JL Skinner.
Broncos vs. Lions start time
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 16
- Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET l 6:15 p.m. MT
Saturday night's game between the Broncos and the Lions will be held at 8:15 p.m. ET at Ford Field.
What channel is Broncos vs. Lions on today?
- Game: Broncos vs. Lions
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 16
- TV channel: NFL Network (U.S.) | TSN 1/3, RDS (Canada)
- Live stream: NFL+, Fubo (U.S.) | DAZN (Canada)
Saturday evening's game between Denver and Detroit will air on NFL Network. Viewers can also watch the game on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Those in Canada can watch on TSN1/3 in English and RDS in French, or stream it on DAZN, which carries every NFL game all season.