Goff throws 2 TD passes to St. Brown, Lions beat Browns 34-10 for 3rd straight victory

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DETROIT (AP) — Jared Goff’s connection with Amon-Ra St. Brown is so good, it helped the Detroit Lions overcome a relatively lackluster game on offense to rout the Cleveland Browns.

Goff threw two touchdown passes to St. Brown, Kalif Raymond returned a punt 65 yards for another score and the Lions beat the Cleveland Browns 34-10 on Sunday.

Goff was 16 of 27 for 168 yards with a 2-yard touchdown pass to St. Brown late in the first half and an 8-yard toss to him in the fourth quarter, giving the All-Pro receiver six TD receptions in the last three games.

“That will always be a security blanket,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said. “Those two guys, the rapport and connection they have is special.”

Goff also threw an interception, coming up short on a deep pass to Jameson Williams, and had season lows in yards passing and completion percentage.

“We can be so much better, especially offensively,” Goff said.

Cleveland, which is averaging 14 points a game, would love to have one of Detroit’s sub-par games on offense.

The Lions (3-1) intercepted Joe Flacco twice in the first half and scored 20 straight points for a 13-point lead at halftime. Detroit forced Flacco to fumble in the fourth, setting up another touchdown to convert three turnovers into 17 points.

The Browns (1-3) opened with an 88-yard, 13-play touchdown drive, then had 44 yards with three punts and two turnovers the rest of the half. They finished with 249 yards of offense, gaining an average of 3.8 yards per play.

“We did too many things that you can’t do if you want to beat a good team on the road,” Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We obviously have to clean these things up.”

Flacco started strong before struggling and finishing 16 of 34 for 184 yards with three turnovers. Rookie Dillon Gabriel, a third-round pick, replaced Flacco late in the game.

“That first interception was on me,” Flacco said. “I didn’t read their coverage correctly and I threw it to the wrong spot. It is really frustrating to make a mental mistake like that.”

Quinshon Judkins had 21 carries for 82 yards and a 1-yard scoring run that gave the Browns a short-lived lead in the first quarter.

The Lions pulled into a tie on the ensuing possession after Jahmyr Gibbs scored on an 8-yard run. Jake Bates kicked 48- and 58-yard field goals in the first half to give Detroit a 20-7 lead.

Cleveland got within 10 points on Andre Szmyt’s 33-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, and its stingy defense kept the score close until Raymond’s punt return early in the fourth and St. Brown’s second scoring catch helped make the score lopsided.

Gibbs finished with 15 carries for 91 yards, outgaining team totals for each of the Browns’ first three opponents.

Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson had a sack for a third straight game and forced a fumble for the second time in less than a week, including a win last Monday night at Baltimore.

He has 10 1/2 sacks in nine games, dating to the 2024 season that was cut short by a broken leg.

“I feel like I’m in a good spot, just going to continue to stack games,” Hutchinson said.

Browns: OT Jack Conklin (elbow) was inactive last week and with OT Dawand Jones out with a season-ending knee injury, Flacco faced a lot of pressure. WR Cedric Tillman (hamstring) left the game in the first half.

Lions: CB D.J. Reed (hamstring) was carted off the field in the second half. CB Terrion Arnold (shoulder) and special teams player Jacob Saylors (hamstring) were also hurt during the game.

Campbell expects Reed to miss at least a game, adding he doesn’t think Arnold’s ailment is serious.

Browns: Play Minnesota on Sunday in London.

Lions: Play at Cincinnati on Sunday.

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