Lions vs. Broncos score, takeaways: Jared Goff dices up Denver's defense as Detroit cruises to blowout win

Down 42-17, the Broncos replace Russell Wilson with backup QB Jarrett Stidham.

With five TDs tonight, Jared Goff now ranks second in the NFL in TD passes (26) on the year, behind only Cowboys MVP candidate Dak Prescott (28). He passed Josh Allen, Brock Purdy and Tua Tagovailoa with his performance against the Broncos.

Make that five TD passes from Jared Goff, three of which have gone to the stud rookie Sam LaPorta!

Russell Wilson gets the Broncos back on the board with a QB sneak, but it'll prove too little, too late:

Detroit domination (or Denver dissolution):

And this is basically a wrap for the Broncos tonight, as Jahmyr Gibbs scampers in for his second TD of Week 15:

This is where the Broncos were flagged for offsides on fourth-and-goal:

Lions playing off coverage and let the Broncos drive all the way down to the red zone. Aaron Glenn's defense then tightens up, forcing a fourth-and-goal attempt from Denver, and all hell breaks loose for Sean Payton's squad. The Broncos appear to convert, running up the gut on a fullback carry, but OG Quinn Meinerz is curiously flagged for offensive offsides, with officials ruling that his helmet was past the ball at the line of scrimmage. Denver then elects to take the field goal, and Payton rips into Russell Wilson on the sidelines.

Wow. Lions waste no time responding to Denver's first score of the night, as Jared Goff just dices up the secondary once again. No one can cover Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Goff finishes the quick drive with a bullet to none other than Sam LaPorta. It's 28-7!

Here's Russell Wilson's TD pass to Lil'Jordan Humphrey, which makes it a two-score game:

Officials rule to uphold the TD by Lil'Jordan Humphrey. A nice break for the Broncos, who pull within two scores. The ball clearly moved a bit when it contacted the ground, but it's unclear whether he actually lost possession of the ball in the process. So it's 21-7.

Broncos get their biggest play of the night on a pass interference call; Alex Anzalone gets flagged trying to cover Marvin Mims deep and Denver gains 44 yards. Then Russell Wilson finally hits Courtland Sutton to move to move the chains in Lions territory and seals the deal with a perfect lofted TD pass to Lil'Jordan Humphrey. Nice work from Humphrey tracking the ball at its highest point in tight coverage. The score is under review, however, since the ball appeared to shift while hitting the ground.

The Broncos went just 1 of 6 on third downs in the first half, averaging a mere 3.1 yards per play. Russell Wilson's early fumble hurt, but the run game has been absolutely nonexistent, too. WR Marvin Mims currently leads the club on the ground with a single carry for 11 yards. Javonte Williams has managed just six yards on six carries. Nothing doing for Sean Payton's squad.

Jared Goff certainly drew his fair share of criticism in the lead-up to Saturday's game thanks to his recent turnover spree. But boy has he responded. After two quarters: 19 of 26 (73%) for 215 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, 135.9 rating in a 21-0 lead. The resurgent Broncos defense has been nowhere to be found. And all of a sudden it feels like the Lions are back in business.

Wow! The Lions can do no wrong on their home turf tonight! Jared Goff lasers one over the middle to a wide-open Amon-Ra St. Brown, and the wideout does the rest, racing across -- and up and over -- the goal line to make this a 21-0 ballgame.

Amon-Ra St. Brown's speed puts the Lions back into Denver territory with a chance to go up three scores before halftime:

Key injury alert: Broncos RT Mike McGlinchey is exiting the lineup to receive sideline attention from trainers.

Jared Goff to Jahymr Gibbs for the score to put the Lions up two TDs:

Yucky drive from the Broncos, who surrender another killer sack to go three-and-out, and the Lions take advantage. Jared Goff hits Josh Reynolds and Jameson Williams for big gains -- he's now 14 of 15 on the night, back in precision-passing form -- and then Jahmyr Gibbs seals the deal to put Motor City up 14-0. Super important for the Lions to go up early, too, considering their ability to control the ball and clock. We might need another Clutch Russ performance from the Broncos for them to make this a game.

The Lions strike first, as it's Jared Goff to -- who else? -- Sam LaPorta, the star rookie tight end. That's seven TDs for the first-year pass catcher, who easily slipped by Josey Jewell along the sidelines to make it 7-0 Detroit:

Huge play from Broncos DL Dre'Mont Jones to rob the Lions of any points on their drive immediately following the Russell Wilson fumble. Gets the sack of Jared Goff on third-and-9 to force a three-and-out. That Denver "D" is still working.

Three plays after Russell Wilson's opening-play strike, the QB loses the ball on a sack, and Detroit scoops it up for momentum:

Big start for the Broncos, as Russell Wilson hits Jerry Jeudy for a major gain:

The Ravens will have eyes on tonight's game, which can help them clinch a postseason berth:

• Broncos inactives: QB Ben DiNucci, S JL Skinner, LB Nik Bonitto, TE Nate Adkins, LB Ben Niemann, C Alex Forsyth, DE Elijah Garcia
• Lions inactives: CB Steven Gilmore, WR Antoine Green, LB Charles Harris, CB Chase Lucas, LB Trevor Nowaske, LB Julian Okwara, K Riley Patterson

Michael Badgley is officially the kicker for the Lions tonight, with Riley Patterson inactive. It's unclear what the future holds for the latter, but obviously if Badgley is solid in key spots, he'll have a chance to stick. He can be promoted on a single-game basis three different times while on the practice squad.

Active-roster elevations for the Broncos: TE Lucas Krull and DT Tyler Lancaster. The former provides some depth with Greg Dulcich sidelined due to a foot injury. Adam Trautman and Chris Manhertz lead Denver's TE depth chart.

A kicker change is underway for the Lions, at least for the moment. Detroit elevated Michael Badgley, who spent 2018-2020 as the Chargers' placekicker, from the practice squad. He's set to fill in for Riley Patterson, who's missed multiple extra points in recent weeks. Pass rusher Bruce Irvin has also been called up from the scout team for added defensive reinforcements against Denver.