Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Live score updates, drive-by-drive analysis, and highlights for Detroit Lions vs. Tennessee Titans. The Detroit Lions (5-1) and Tennessee Titans (1-5) are set to face off Sunday afternoon for Detroit’s first contest of the year against an AFC opponent. The Lions have lived up to their Super Bowl contender status through the first two months of the season, but they’re experiencing their first real turbulence of the season. They’re down their top four edge defenders, with Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, and Derrick Barnes on injured reserve and Josh Paschal out this week with an illness. Additionally, 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams is out, serving a two-game suspension for violating the league’s Performance Enhancing Substances policy. While the Lions have plenty of other weapons in their passing arsenal, none of them are capable of impacting how defenses play Detroit more than Williams and his speed. And while the Lions are clearly the better team on paper, this league operates by the mantra “Any Given Sunday” for a reason. The Titans may have only won a single game, but they’ve held an early lead in five of their six games. If they can put together a full four quarters, they could be more dangerous than their record suggests. We’ll be tracking the Week 8 matchup right here in this post. When the game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET, come back to this post, and hit that refresh button for the next three hours for drive-by-drive analysis, score updates, and highlights. When the game concludes, this post will turn into a recap. First quarter The Titans won the toss and deferred. Jared Goff and the Lions offense didn’t last long, though. On the very first play, Arden Key beat Taylor Decker around the corner for a sack, and Detroit couldn’t work their way back—going three-and-out quickly. Starting with a BOOM @ArdenKeyEl : Watch #TENvsDET on @NFLonFOX stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/S74lMhEq8a— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 27, 2024 Mason Rudolph, in for Will Levis, completed his first pass of the day to Calvin Ridley for 13 yards. But on his very next pass, Rudolph felt pressure from Levi Onwuzurike and threw it right to linebacker Trevor Nowaske. Levi with the pressure, Nowaske with the pick! #TENvsDET FOX pic.twitter.com/WP4cctc5cH— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 27, 2024 It only took the Lions two runs to cash in, as a pair of David Montgomery runs plowed Detroit to a 7-0 Lions lead. There’s David Montgomery aka Knuckles for the TD! : #TENvsDET on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/moEzG5tKh3— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024 The Titans were able to get to midfield, that’s it. A tackle for loss by Alim McNeill set up third down, and then Rudolph tried to hit Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, but Lions cornerback Carlton Davis was there to bat the ball away and force a punt. The Lions were able to pick up a first down, but only went backwards after that. Goff took a coverage sack for a 13-yard loss on a second down, and as he attempted to go deep on third down, he was sacked again, fumbling the ball. Thankfully for Detroit Kevin Zeitler was there to jump on the ball. Tennessee caught the Lions off-guard with a play-action rollout, as Rudolph found tight end Josh Whyle for a 33-yard gain to kick off their next drive. A few plays later he hit Ridley all the way down to the Lions’ 11-yard line. Then Rudolph had a quarterback keeper where he juked Nowaske for an 11-yard scamper and a 7-7 tie. Mason Rudolph makes a move and finds the end zone! : #TENvsDET on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0fcOGrwzEN— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024 The Lions quickly struck back, as Jahmyr Gibbs took the first play of the ensuing drive untouched for a 70-yard touchdown run. 14-7 Lions. I feel the need, the need for speed. @jahmyr_gibbs1 #TENvsDET FOX pic.twitter.com/3uBlQJaDL6— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 27, 2024 The Titans continued to challenge Detroit’s defense, though. After getting into a second-and-18 hole, Rudolph found Ridley for a 47-yard gain after he had gotten by Amik Robertson. Rudolph to Ridley in full effect : Watch #TENvsDET on @NFLonFOX stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/n6zWJasrqa— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 27, 2024 They kept feeding Ridley all the way down into the red zone, as the game moved into the second quarter. Second quarter Two plays into the quarter, Rudolph found Westbrook-Ikhine for a 5-yard touchdown and a 14-14 tie. Mason Rudolph zips it in for six! : #TENvsDET on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/k5Wp4JBBss— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024 Detroit, again, had a quick response, this time via special teams. Khalil Dorsey returned the kickoff all the way to the Titans’ 25-yard line. A facemask penalty pushed Detroit into first-and-goal, and from there Goff found a wide open Brock Wright for an 8-yard touchdown. 21-14 Lions. Brocktober #NationalTightEndsDay#TENvsDET FOX pic.twitter.com/eFzBUOVpve— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 27, 2024