By Nick Kosmider and Colton Pouncy

Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta caught three touchdown passes as the Detroit Lions walloped the Denver Broncos 42-17 to claim their 10th victory of the season, positioning themselves on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth.

The Lions (10-4) are guaranteed a spot in the postseason with a Seattle Seahawks (6-7) loss on Monday night or as early as Sunday, if a few other results go their way. They can clinch their first division title since 1993 with a win over the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Eve.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Lions poured in 21 unanswered points to enter halftime. Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes — and completed 19 of 26 passes for 215 yards — in the first half alone while Wilson was just 4-of-10 passing for 69 yards, taking two sacks within the first two frames. Goff tacked on an extra two touchdown passes in the second half and Wilson finished with 223 yards and a score.

After the first-half shutout, the Broncos stopped the bleeding early in the third quarter when Wilson found Lil’Jordan Humphrey for the team’s only TD pass of the day. The Lions responded with a touchdown drive of their own to go up 28-7 before running away with the game.

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown reeled in seven receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs added 100 yards and a score on the ground for Detroit.

With the win, the Lions take a commanding lead atop the NFC North while the Broncos drop to 7-7 and remain behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Read more here.

--

Need tickets? Here you can find the best deals to see your favorite NFL team.