2025 Detroit Lions Award: Game Of The Year

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 22: Jahmyr Gibbs #0 of the Detroit Lions scores a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during an NFL football game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 22, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The 2025 Detroit Lions season didn’t have the number of great games we were all hoping to see, though it certainly says something that a 9-8 season can feel so massively disappointing. Still, despite the tough year, there were some games that will likely be rememberd. So in the latest edition of our 2025 Detroit Lions award nominations, let’s determine the 2025 Game of the Year.

Here are our nominations, and remember: your vote in the poll at the bottom of the page will decide the winner.

Previous awards (voting still open!)

• Breakout Player of the Year
• Special Teams Player of the Year
• Rookie of the Year
• Coach of the Year

2025 Detroit Lions Game of the Year

Brandon Knapp: Week 3 MNF win over Ravens

This was a big win for the team and made me believe that this team could win a Super Bowl. The defense containing Lamar Jackson was huge and Hutchinson forcing the fumble on Derrick Henry was massive. The offense running game seemed to be at its best and that the Week 1 issues were gone and part of the past.

Ryan Mathews: Week 3 MNF win over Ravens

Arguably the high point of the season was Detroit traveling to Baltimore for a “Monday Night Football” showdown between two teams who had Super Bowl aspirations–ope! Kelvin Sheppard called one helluva game, the run game was as potent as it was all season long, and the Lions pulled out a convincing statement win that exorcised the demons of 2023.

Al Karsten: Week 3 MNF win over Ravens

Unfortunately, it came early in the season amid a slate of disappointing outings as the year wore on: the Lions’ Monday Night Football slaying of the Ravens in Baltimore. Despite allowing 30 points, the defense disrupted Lamar Jackson for much of the night in one of its best performances against a dual-threat quarterback in years. On the other side, David Montgomery powered the offense with a career-high 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

John Whiticar: Week 3 MNF win over Ravens

Lions fans expected this to be a heavyweight tilt, and it did not disappoint. David Montgomery had a career-best game, with he and Jahmyr Gibbs scoring two touchdowns each. Jared Goff was steady despite a tough Ravens defense. The defense, meanwhile, racking up a whopping seven sacks of Lamar Jackson. Jackson did have three passing touchdowns, but he was contained to just 35 yards on the ground. It was a proof of concept for the Lions’ defensive scheme, back when they were at their healthiest.

Meko Scott: Week 3 MNF win over Ravens

The last time the Detroit Lions faced off against the Baltimore Ravens it was a game we all wanted to forget, but that was not the case this year. At the time, the thoughts going into this game was that this would be a test to see how Detroit stacked up against one of the top teams in the AFC that featured stars like Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. The Lions would pass that test with flying colors as they contained Jackson and Henry in the run game, and found success offensively by way of 426 total yards of offense in a 38 – 30 win on Monday Night Football. 

Erik Schlitt: Week 3 MNF win over Ravens

The Lions’ most complete game of 2025 came on Monday Night Football in Week 3 in a 38-30 win over the Ravens in Baltimore. On offense, Jahmyr Gibbs registered 99 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, while David Montgomery ran for a career high 151 yards and also found the end zone twice. On defense, the Lions introduced a “spy” to their containment package and managed to smother Lamar Jackson, sacking him seven times on the night. Aiden Hutchinson took over late in the game, punching loose a fumble on Derrick Henry, then sacked Jackson on the next defensive series, forcing a three-and-out and setting the Lions up to seal the game.

Jeremy Reisman: Week 7 win over 5-1 Buccaneers

Alright, my real answer is the Ravens game that everyone else picked. At the time, beating the Ravens in Baltimore seemed like an amazing accomplishment, and it was hard not to get excited about the run game, the pass rush, and Kelvin Sheppard’s ability to game plan against a mobile quarterbcak.

But I want to give some love to Week 7. Coming off the heels of a loss to the Chiefs that shook us to our core, this win over the Buccaneers—a team some believed was the best in football at the time—was a confidence-booster heading into the bye week. Gibbs was electric with 218 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, and the defense was absolutely dominant (9 points allowed) against a Bucs offense that had scored over 30 against the Seahawks and 49ers in the two previous weeks.