|
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 19:
Golden Tate #15, Jeremy Ross #12 and Matthew Stafford #9 of
the Detroit Lions celebrate a fourth quarter touchdown
against the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field on October 19,
2014 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty
Images) |
|
Matthew
Stafford
throws
two
touchdowns
in final
3:38 as
Lions
rally
By NOAH
TRISTER
AP
Sports
Writer
DETROIT
-
Matthew
Stafford
and
Detroit
stunned
New
Orleans
with a
late
rally --
one that
wouldn't
have
been
possible
without
another
big
stand by
the
Lions'
defense.
Stafford
threw
two
touchdown
passes
in the
final
3:38,
including
the
winner
to Corey
Fuller
with
1:48
remaining,
lifting
the
Lions
over the
Saints
24-23 on
Sunday.
Glover
Quin
lifted
Detroit
with a
crucial
interception
that set
up the
winning
score.
The
Saints
(2-4)
were in
control
late in
the
fourth
quarter
when
Stafford
found
Golden
Tate for
a
73-yard
catch-and-run
that
made it
23-17.
Then
Drew
Brees
was
intercepted
on third
down by
Quin,
whose
23-yard
return
gave the
Lions
(5-2)
the ball
at the
New
Orleans
14.
Detroit
caught a
break
when
Rafael
Bush was
called
for pass
interference
on
fourth
down.
Stafford
eventually
connected
with
Fuller
in the
back of
the end
zone for
a 5-yard
touchdown
and the
win.
The
Saints
committed
12
penalties
for 134
yards.
Detroit
won for
the
second
straight
week
without
star
receiver
Calvin
Johnson,
who is
nursing
an ankle
problem.
The
Lions
sputtered
for most
of the
game
before
Tate
caught
Stafford's
pass
around
his own
35,
turned
up the
field
and
outran
two New
Orleans
defenders
who
looked
like
they had
good
angles
to make
the
tackle.
Then it
was up
to
Detroit's
defense
-- which
came
into the
game
ranked
No. 1 in
the NFL
-- to
get the
ball
back.
Since
the
Lions
had
timeouts
remaining,
the
Saints
let
Brees
try to
throw
for a
first
down,
and his
pass
over the
middle
was
intercepted,
giving
Detroit
a short
field.
On
fourth-and-5
from the
9,
Stafford
threw
toward
running
back
Reggie
Bush,
who had
not been
much of
a factor
against
his
former
team.
Bush
appeared
to be
short of
the
first-down
marker,
and the
ball
fell
incomplete
-- but
Rafael
Bush
arrived
a bit
early,
and the
penalty
gave the
Lions a
new set
of
downs.
Fuller
made a
nice
jumping
catch in
the back
of the
end zone
and got
both
feet
down for
the
final
touchdown.
Cornerback
Darius
Slay
broke up
a
fourth-down
pass by
Brees
with 21
seconds
remaining
to seal
the win.
Brees
threw
for 342
yards
and two
touchdowns,
including
a
46-yarder
to Kenny
Stills
in the
third
quarter
that put
New
Orleans
ahead
17-3.
Stafford
threw
for 299
yards
and two
touchdowns,
although
he threw
a pair
of
interceptions
that
nearly
cost
Detroit
dearly.
Stafford
forced a
pass
into
coverage
late in
the
first
quarter,
and
Keenan
Lewis
picked
it off,
giving
the
Saints
the ball
at the
Detroit
29.
Brees
found
Austin
Johnson
for a
13-yard
touchdown
to make
it 7-0.
Matt
Prater
kicked a
21-yard
field
goal for
the
Lions,
banking
it
through
off the
left
upright.
Not to
be
outdone,
Shayne
Graham
banked a
27-yard
field
goal
through
off the
left
upright
on the
final
play of
the
half,
giving
New
Orleans
a 10-3
lead.
Stills
slipped
behind
the
defense
on the
first
drive of
the
second
half and
gathered
in Brees'
deep
pass to
give New
Orleans
a
two-touchdown
lead.
The
Lions
answered
with a
12-play,
80-yard
drive
that
ended
with
Joique
Bell's
1-yard
scoring
run.
Graham's
48-yard
field
goal
made it
20-10
with
13:33
remaining.
Detroit
then
drove
into the
red
zone,
but
tight
end
Jordan
Thompson
dropped
a pass,
and the
ball
bounced
right to
Kenny
Vaccaro,
whose
interception
put the
Saints
in very
good
shape.
But
there
was
enough
time
left for
Detroit's
dramatic
rally. |