The wait is over! After 33 long years, the Detroit Lions have finally won a playoff game. Ironically, their win came against a player that struggled to give Detroit a win as well in Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. It was an epic moment for a franchise that has long been in the doldrums due to their struggles.

Like with most games, the Lions' win was a team effort on both ends. The offense went out to an early lead, and the defense did their best to make sure the lead was never relinquished. It's the brand of football that Dan Campbell has instilled in Detroit.

However, certain Lions stars just… stood out more. Let's look at which players were the heroes of Detroit on Sunday night.

Jared Goff

At this point, you have to acknowledge that Jared Goff is an elite quarterback in the NFL. Sure, he's no Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson. However, Goff is still pretty damn great at what he does when given the right tools. The Lions made sure to give Goff all the tools he needs to succeed. On Sunday, they reaped the rewards of their game.

In a night where the Lions' deadly duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs was silenced, Goff stepped up big time. Goff went 22-for-27 for 277 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The Rams' defense is no slouch by any means, but the former LA quarterback diced up the defense. That was especially apparent in the first half, as they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

The offense did eventually stall out in the second half, but at that point, Goff and the unit did their job. It wasn't easy, but Goff also had the assistance of another hero.

Lions' offensive line

There are few players in the league that force offenses to plan around them. The Lions faced one such player in Aaron Donald. While Donald isn't getting much attention in the media, he's still a devastating threat that can wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

Goff is a great player, but he works best when he's not pressured by the defense. The Lions assembled the best offensive line in the game to assist Goff, but they faced a massive challenge against Donald and the Rams. Thankfully for Detroit, the line did a solid job protecting their quarterback. They bought him just enough time for him to deliver when needed.

Yes, other Rams rushers were able to get to Goff at times. That's what happens when you have a player like Donald. However, the Lions were able to mitigate these blitzes just enough to give Goff a chance to stand in the pocket.

Aidan Hutchinson

Coming into the Lions-Rams game, there was more concern with the Lions' defense than their offense. While the offense has been hit-or-miss, the defense has struggled more during the season. The Rams boasted one of the more potent offenses in the league, headlined by two elite wide receivers (Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua) and a quarterback who has the talent to maximize his receivers.

The Lions' secondary struggled heavily to contain Kupp and Nacua… or any Rams receiver, if we're being honest. They were able to stop them in the red zone when it mattered, but they routinely gave up big plays that gave LA prime field position. It could've been much, much worse had Hutchinson had an elite playoff debut.

Facing off against a much-improved Rams line, Hutchinson made every LA lineman's day a living hell. The Lions' star edge rusher proved to be a nuisance on the field. He was able to pressure Matthew Stafford all night long and not giving him time to dissect the defense. Stafford was able to make some plays, but Hutchinson lessened how much those big plays mattered.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

If we're picking the “literal” hero of the game in the sense that he won the game for the Lions, it has to be Amon-Ra St. Brown. Yes, the star wide receiver popped off in the game (seven catches for 110 yards). However, St.Brown's heroics in the final two minutes allowed Detroit to finally secure the win.

After the two-minute warning, the Lions found themselves in a precarious position. With second-and-9 coming up, Detroit needed a first down to secure the win. The Rams had no timeouts remaining, and a first down would allow Detroit to simply kneel the ball. With that in mind, Ben Johnson and co. dialed up their Ol' Faithful combination of Goff and St. Brown.

It worked to perfection. Goff hit St. Brown on a 10-yard hitch, giving the Lions the first down and the ball game. That right there is truly heroic stuff.