The Detroit Lions seem back on track, but have a challenging game against the Cleveland Browns of the AFC North.
The Lions (2-1) have a 20-10 lead in the third quarter against the Browns (1-2) in a Week 4 matchup at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Detroit is coming off a 38-30 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore on Monday Night Football, one that re-established the Lions as a Super Bowl contender. A home game against the Browns might not present as difficult a challenge as a road game in prime time against the Ravens, but some difficulties might lie ahead for the Lions.
For one, the Browns have one of the best defenses in football, allowing a league-low 57.3 rushing yards per game through their first three games. For another, Cleveland is coming off a surprising 13-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 3, beating the only team that has beaten the Lions so far this season.
Still, with a mostly healthy roster, the Lions are looking to avoid a trap game against an opponent that may be stronger than their record suggests.
We’ll have all the live updates for the Lions-Browns game from Ford Field.
Lions vs Browns live updates
Amon-Ra St. Brown puts away game with second TD catch
4Q, 4:04: Lions 33, Browns 10
With the Joe Flacco fumble giving the Lions the ball on Cleveland’s 20-yard line, the Lions offense chipped away until an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown put away the game for good.
It’s Goff’s second passing touchdown of the game, with both going to St. Brown.
Aidan Hutchinson forces fumble, Trevor Nowaske recovers
On the Browns’ fifth play of the drive, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson stripped the ball from Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, causing a fumble (and recording his second sack of the game in the process).
Linebacker Trevor Nowaske jumped on it and ran it back into the end zone, but was called down on the Cleveland 20-yard line. The Lions start their drive in the red zone.
Lions punt from own 47-yard line
In their first offensive possession of the fourth quarter, the Lions tried to get running back David Montgomery and receiver Jameson Williams going, gaining 30 yards on six plays.
The drive ended around midfield, however, with a big punt from Jack Fox pinning the Browns to their own 6-yard line.
D.J. Reed, Jacob Saylors both questionable
Lions running back Jacob Saylors left the game after the Kalif Raymond punt return touchdown, and is now questionable to return with a hamstring injury.
Similarly, D.J. Reed, who appeared hurt on the play before the punt return touchdown, is also questionable with a hamstring injury. The extent of both injuries is unknown and we await further updates.
Kalif Raymond with 65-yard punt return touchdown
4Q, 13:40: Lions 27, Browns 10
Lions punt returner Kalif Raymond already had impressive returns so far this game, but this one tops them all.
He returned a punt 65 yards for a Lions touchdown, giving Detroit a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter. It’s the third punt return touchdown he’s recorded in his Lions career.
D.J. Reed appears hurt
While defending a long pass from Browns quarterback Joe Flacco to receiver Jerry Jeudy, Lions cornerback D.J. Reed appeared to hurt his leg. He is currently receiving treatment on the field and is being carted off.
The extent of his injury is unknown, but with the cart out it wouldn’t be surprising if he missed the rest of the game. With cornerback Terrion Arnold still out of the game, the Lions are now down both starting corners.
Lions turnover on downs in Browns territory
A dropped pass from Lions quarterback Jared Goff to receiver Jameson Williams set up a 4th and 2 from the Browns 24-yard line. The Lions went for it with a toss to running back Jahmyr Gibbs, but he was only able to pick up one yard before being forced out of bounds, turning the ball over to Cleveland.
The Browns start with the ball on their own 23-yard line.
Lions lead by 10 entering fourth quarter
End 3Q: Lions 20, Browns 10
A big block from rookie guard Tate Ratledge opened up space for Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs on the right side. Gibbs used the space to rattle off a 22-yard gain on the Lions’ first play of the drive, putting the Lions in Browns territory right before the end of the third quarter.
The Lions are up by 10 and will start the fourth quarter with a 3rd and 2 from the Browns’ 24-yard line.
Terrion Arnold listed as questionable
After leaving the field earlier in the third quarter, Terrion Arnold has been listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. The extent of his injury is unclear.
Browns miss 56-yard FG attempt
On 2nd-and-8 from their own 33-yard line, the Browns got into Lions’ territory with a 35-yard pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to receiver Isaiah Bond. Another pass attempt from Flacco to Bond was almost intercepted by Lions defensive back Amik Robertson, while a rushing attempt from running back Jerome Ford was stopped in the backfield by Lions linebacker Trevor Nowaske, forcing a 3rd and long.
After an incomplete pass by Flacco to set up fourth down, kicker Andre Szmyt sent the 56-yard field goal attempt wide, keeping the Browns scoreless on the drive.
Terrion Arnold appears injured
Adding to the list of injured Lions this game, cornerback Terrion Arnold appears to be hurt and is receiving attention on the field from trainers.
He walked off the field slowly appearing to grab his midsection. It is unclear what injury he may have suffered, and we await updates.
Browns add a 30-yard field goal after Jared Goff INT
3Q, 6:44: Lions 20, Browns 10
The Browns gained 27 yards on eight plays following the Jared Goff interception, but couldn’t punch in their second touchdown of the game.
Kicker Andre Szmyt nailed a 33-yard field goal to bring the Lions lead down to 10 points midway through the third quarter.
Kerby Joseph back in the game
Lions safety Kerby Joseph has returned to the game after leaving in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury.
Jared Goff throws interception on Lions’ first drive of the second half
Three straight handoffs to running back Jahmyr Gibbs gave the Lions a first down deep in their own territory on their first possession of the half, but a holding penalty on rookie Tate Ratledge brought the ball back to the Lions’ 12-yard line.
On the next play, quarterback Jared Goff threw deep but was intercepted by cornerback Denzel Ward to give the Browns the ball back on their own 42-yard line. It’s Goff’s second interception of the year.
Brian Branch penalty negates Aidan Hutchinson sack, Jack Campbell fumble recovery
On a Browns 3rd-and-9 play, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson appeared to sack Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, causing a fumble that was recovered by Lions linebacker Jack Campbell.
But a holding penalty called on safety Brian Branch negated both plays, giving the Browns offense new life around midfield.
Kerby Joseph on sidelines without helmet
We’re still awaiting an update on Kerby Joseph, who left in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury.
His injury status is currently questionable, and he appears to be warming up on the sideline without a helmet.
Lions have comfortable halftime lead
Halftime: Lions 20, Browns 7
The Browns may indeed have the best defense the Lions have seen all season, but the Lions are finding ways to score, anyway.
Two interceptions, one from safety Kerby Joseph and one from cornerback D.J. Reed, have given the Lions extra possessions so far
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs has 41 yards on five carries and a touchdown, with quarterback Jared Goff adding one touchdown on 12-of-18 passing. The Browns will get the ball to start the second half.
Jake Bates nails 58-yard FG right before halftime
2Q, 0:08: Lions 20, Browns 7
The Lions got the ball on their own 16-yard line with 55 second left in the half and quickly drove down the field, with a 27-yard pass from quarterback Jared Goff to tight end Sam LaPorta getting the Lions into Browns territory.
Kicker Jake Bates nailed the 58-yard field goal to give the Lions their 18th, 19th and 20th points of the game. Lions up right before the half.
Aidan Hutchinson appears hurt, jogs off field
Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson was briefly attended to by trainers on a nine-yard pass from Browns quarterback Joe Flacco that forced a fourth down. He quickly hopped up and jogged off the field, however, and is not receiving any medical attention on the sideline.
Kerby Joseph listed as questionable
Lions safety Kerby Joseph has been listed as questionable with a knee injury following the D.J. Reed interception. It is unclear whether he will return to this game.
Avonte Maddox has replaced Joseph in the secondary.
Jared Goff throws TD to Amon-Ra St. Brown
2Q, 3:00: Lions 17, Browns 7
On third-and-goal from the Browns’ 2-yard line, Lions quarterback Jared Goff faked the handoff and found a wide open Amon-Ra St. Brown on the right side for a touchdown. It’s St. Brown’s fifth touchdown of the season.
Kerby Joseph injured on D.J. Reed interception
Lions safety Kerby Joseph appeared to be injured during the D.J. Reed interception, limping off the field with the help of trainers. His injury or status for this game is unclear.
D.J. Reed intercepts Joe Flacco, defense plays duck-duck-goose
Browns quarterback Joe Flacco threw his second interception of the game, this time to Lions cornerback D.J. Reed, who returned it back to the Cleveland 5-yard line. The play went under review and was upheld.
To celebrate the play, the defense played duck-duck-goose in the end zone.
Jameson Williams drops long pass, Lions go three-and-out
After the Lions defense forced a three-and-out deep in Browns territory, the Browns held the Lions to the same on the next possession.
Lions receiver Jameson Williams dropped a long pass on third down that likely would have put the Lions in the red zone. Instead, they punt, and the Browns start on their own 19-yard line.
Lions punt for second time
Starting with the ball on their own 15-yard line, the Lions handed it off to running back Jahmyr Gibbs for a quick 24-yard gain. Ten of those yards were brought back, however, on consecutive false start penalties, the first on tight end Brock Wright and the second on offensive tackle Taylor Decker.
That pushed the Lions back to a 1st and 20 on their own 29. Two incompletions and a short gain later, the Lions punted. The Browns will start on the Lions 8-yard line.
Aidan Hutchinson sack on Joe Flacco
On a 1st and 10 from the Lions’ 49-yard line, Browns quarterback Joe Flacco dropped back to pass but was met quickly by Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who notched his third sack of the season.
He celebrated with a stanky legg right after.
Jake Bates’s 48-yard FG gives Lions the lead
2Q, 14:17: Lions 10, Browns 7
A false start penalty from Lions offensive guard Christian Mahogany put the Lions at 3rd-and-14 to start the second quarter, and the Browns turned up the pressure on quarterback Jared Goff to force a short pass to receiver Kalif Raymond and force fourth down.
Lions kicker Jake Bates nailed a 48-yard field goal to give the Lions their first lead of the game.
Lions tied with Browns after one quarter
End 1Q: Lions 7, Browns 7
The Lions defense forced one of the strangest interceptions you’ll ever see towards the end of the first quarter, giving Detroit the ball back in Browns territory.
Detroit has a 3rd and long from the Cleveland 37 when we resume.
Kerby Joseph interception on Joe Flacco
On a 3rd-and-8 from the Cleveland 25, Browns quarterback Joe Flacco wafted the ball in the air towards the sideline at midfield, not expecting anyone to catch the ball.
Except Lions safety Kerby Joseph sprinted towards the ball, intercepted it and kept his toes just in bounds to give the Lions the ball back on the Browns’ 46-yard line. It’s Josephs’ second interception of the season.
Jahmyr Gibbs scores 8-yard TD
1Q, 3:20: Lions 7, Browns 7
On a 3rd-and-5, Lions quarterback Jared Goff escaped heavy pressure from Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett and found an open Amon-Ra St. Brown near the right sideline for a 25-yard gain. A 15-yard tripping penalty on Browns safety Grant Delpit brought the Lions into the red zone, and a holding penalty on Browns cornerback Denzel Ward negated Cleveland’s first sack of the game.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored his fourth touchdown of the season one play later as the Lions tie it up.
Lions defense has given up a TD on the first drive of every game
It’s taken a while for the Lions defense to warm up in games so far in 2025.
At training camp on Thursday, Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard stressed that he wanted his defense to force a three-and-out on their opponent’s opening possession. But after the first-quarter touchdown from Browns running back Quinshon Judkins, the Lions defense has now given up a touchdown on the opening possession of all four of their regular-season games so far this season.
Browns get on the board with Quinshon Judkins rushing TD
1Q , 5:36: Browns 7, Lions 0
The Browns started their opening drive with two plays of 10+ yards, with quarterback Joe Flacco finding receiver Jerry Jeudy for an 11-yard pass and running back Quinshon Judkins rattling off a 10-yard gain up the middle.
Flacco completed a 16-yard pass on third down to receiver Isaiah Bond to get the Browns into Lions territory, and then found Jeudy again for a 33-yard gain on the next play to get into the Detroit red zone.
The Browns got a 1st-and-goal on the Lions’ 1-yard line, but the Lions kept the Browns out of the end zone on three consecutive runs (two on sneaks from Flacco) to force a fourth down. Judkins punched it in on fourth down, however, to give the Browns an early lead.
Browns stop Lions at midfield
The big Browns defense is on display early at Ford Field.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed a 13-yard pass to receiver Jameson Williams on the first play from scrimmage, but Detroit’s offense sputtered three plays later and was forced to punt.
Browns take over on their own 12-yard line.
Browns win toss
Cleveland wins the coin toss and chooses to defer to the second half. The Lions will receive the ball to start the game.
Jared Goff leads team out of tunnel
Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this year, leading the league in completion percentage (77.9%) and placing second in quarterback rating (79.4) and touchdowns (seven).
Lions offense looking for third-straight outburst
Many questions were asked of Lions offensive coordinator John Morton following the Lions’ Week 1 performance against the Green Bay Packers in which they only scored 13 points. But after 93 combined points over the last two games, both ending in convincing wins for Detroit, those questions aren’t coming nearly as frequently, anymore.
Detroit’s offense might face its toughest test of the year today, however, with the Browns defense allowing a league-low 204.3 yards per game. Then again, this Browns defense hasn’t faced the Lions offense this year, yet.
Jack Conklin inactive for Browns
The Browns listed seven players on their inactive list for Sunday’s game against the Lions, including quarterback Shedeur Sanders and offensive tackle Jack Conklin.
Penei Sewell warming up
Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell had one of the best games of his career on Monday, earning the best run blocking grade in Pro Football Focus history (98.7) against the Ravens.
He could play a key role against the Browns elite rush defense today.
Taylor Decker active
The Lions released their inactives list with five players listed.
Notably, offensive tackle Taylor Decker and edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad are not on the inactive list, meaning they will be available to play against the Browns.
Lions say go Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are playing their final game of the regular season in Boston at 3:05 p.m. ET, likely while the Lions game is ongoing.
Lions defensive tackle Roy Lopez represented the Tigers while arriving to Ford Field on Sunday.
Lions looking to avoid trap game
With few predicting the Browns to make the playoffs this season, Sunday’s game against Cleveland has the characteristics of a trap game for the Lions.
But with the Browns having one of the most stifling defenses in the NFL, the Lions have emphasized not overlooking Cleveland this week in their quest to got 3-1 on the season.
David Montgomery arriving to work
Lions running back David Montgomery set a career high with 151 rushing yards in Monday’s win over the Ravens, adding two rushing touchdowns for the ninth time in his career.
In unrelated news, Montgomery arrived to Ford Field today wearing a sash filled with scout patches.
Dave Birkett’s pick for Lions vs Browns
All five Free Press NFL writers picked the Lions to cruise to an easy victory against the Browns today.
Birkett: Dan Campbell said the Browns have the best defense the Lions have faced this season. That might be true. Myles Garrett is off to a monster start and Mason Graham has played well through three games, but Cleveland’s offense is putrid and I don’t think the Browns can score enough to keep up with the Lions.
This game might not be the walk in the park I thought it would be in the spring. It’s a short week and the Lions gave the Browns some bulletin board material this week. But as long as the Lions protect the ball and keep Garrett at bay, they should walk away with a double-digit victory. The pick: Lions 31, Browns 17.
Lions wide receivers show blocking chops
Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond considers former Steelers receiver Hines Ward as the greatest blocking receiver of all time. But when asked this week for a list of best blocking receivers, he said Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown should be up there.
Check out our Lions insider Dave Birkett’s piece on how blocking has become an integral feature of the Lions’ receiving corps, helping this offense return to its high-scoring ways after a 38-30 win over the Ravens on Monday night.
Lions uniform combo vs Bears
After wearing all-brown uniforms in their win last week against the Green Bay Packers, the Browns are going back to their white jerseys and white pants today against the Lions.
As for Detroit, it’s all blue today.
What time is the Lions game today vs the Browns?
The Lions are facing off against the Browns at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 28, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
What channel is the Lions Browns game?
The Week 4 matchup between Detroit and Cleveland will kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday and will be broadcasted on Fox.
How to watch Lions Browns NFL game
Watch Lions vs Browns on Fubo
Lions Browns TV announcers
The Lions will not be getting Fox’s A-team for their game against the Browns.
Lions vs Browns odds, betting line
The Lions are a heavy favorite against the Browns in their Week 4 matchup.
Odds are courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday evening.
Detroit Lions schedule 2025
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions vs Browns live updates: NFL Week 4 game score, highlights
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
