Chargers vs. Lions final score: Lions take advantage of Chargers' miscues to win thriller

The Detroit Lions (1-0-1) found a way to upset the Los Angeles Chargers (1-1) to earn their first win of the season. Darius Slay intercepted Philip Rivers in the end zone with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter to seal Detroit's comeback victory. The Lions took the lead for good on Matthew Stafford's 31-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay with 7:28 remaining in the game, one that the Chargers arguably had several chances to put away. 

The Chargers made a controversial decision to not sign a kicker even though Mike Badgley was questionable for the game with a groin injury. Even though the Chargers gambled on Badgley being able to play, they crapped out on the bet. Punter Ty Long was forced into kicking duties, which he missed a 39-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter and a 41-yard attempt in the fourth quarter that would have put the Chargers up 13-6 on the Lions. 

The second miss did the Chargers in as Stafford led the Lions on an eight-play, 69 yard drive that ended in the 31-yard touchdown pass to Golladay to give the Lions their first lead of the game. Stafford went 5-for-5 on the winning drive, throwing for 61 yards. 

The Chargers still had their opportunity to tie the game late in the fourth as Rivers got the offense to the Detroit 19-yard line with 2:39 left, but the Lions defense did not break. After a Justin Jackson four-yard loss and a pass to Austin Ekeler that went for no gain, Rivers had a major miscue with a delay of game penalty that pinned the Chargers to a 3rd-and-19 at the Lions 28. Rivers threw a heave into the end zone in the direction of Keenan Allen that Slay intercepted for the Chargers second turnover of the game. Rivers tried a similar throw last week that Allen came up with for the score, but that was against Indianapolis Colts rookie cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. 

The Lions needed a first down to seal the victory, which Stafford got as he found tight end Jesse James for a seven-yard gain on 3rd-and-6 with just under 45 seconds left. 

Besides the two missed Long kicks, the Chargers had another opportunity to score a touchdown in the third quarter, but Ekeler fumbled at the one-yard line which led to a Lions recovery. The two turnovers and two missed field goals doomed Los Angeles. 

Detroit also had its share of kicking miscues, as Matt Prater missed an extra point and a 40-yard field goal in the first half. The Lions also had several penalties on special teams. 

Recap this exciting finish on our Chargers-Lions live blog below.

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