The Detroit Lions’ 38-30 Monday Night Football win over the Baltimore Ravens had no shortage of highlight moments. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs made plays on offense. The defense smothered Lamar Jackson with seven sacks. But one of the most crucial plays of the night came from an unlikely source, kicker Jake Bates.
Late in the first half, Baltimore’s return unit looked ready to swing momentum with a touchdown. Then came Bates, sprinting downfield like a linebacker and delivering a textbook open-field tackle to stop the play cold. It wasn’t just a routine special teams stop; it may have saved a touchdown and kept Detroit in control.
Head coach Dan Campbell had nothing but praise for his rookie kicker’s effort. “That was a great job by him, squaring it up and then going right through the thigh board,” Campbell said. “We have not worked one tackle drill with him, just to be totally transparent. He’s a natural.”
Play of the game? (Via NFL) pic.twitter.com/0wnc8AuBJp
— DetroitSportsNation (@detsportsnation) September 24, 2025
In a game full of star performances, it was Bates’ grit and hustle that reminded everyone: sometimes the smallest moments change the outcome of the biggest games.
2 Responses
Rookie kicker??? Ummm….if you’re writing about the team, how about you know a wee bit about it?
One of the things I liked best about Jason Hansen is that he wasn’t afraid to make a tackle when it was needed. Now Jake has shown he isn’t afraid either. I love it.