Stafford Show Stops Saints

USA Today

For all the arm talent Matthew Stafford has displayed in his seven NFL seasons, it was his efficiency and decision-making that sparked the Detroit Lions to a big lead and helped prevent them from squandering it.

Stafford completed 22 of 25 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns, and the Lions held off a late surge by New Orleans to defeat the Saints 35-27 on Monday night.

“The guy was phenomenal. He was chasing perfection,” said Lions receiver Golden Tate, who caught two short touchdown passes. “We rallied around that.”

Detroit (5-9) raced to a 28-3 lead, but Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes – one shortly after a Lionsfumble – to help New Orleans (5-9) pull to 28-20 with about 10 minutes left.

Brees passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the fourth quarterback to surpass 60,000 yards in a career while also eclipsing the 4,000-yard mark for the 10th straight season. Brandin Cooks made a career-high 10 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.

But New Orleans’ loss guaranteed consecutive losing seasons for the first time since Sean Payton became coach in 2006.

Brees injured his right foot in the second quarter but never missed a snap. He said he would have an MRI on Tuesday.

“I don’t know what exactly we’ve got going on here,” Brees said of his injury. “It was getting stiff, but we were able to manage.”

The Lions’ last-ranked running game accounted for 150 yards and two TDs against New Orleans’ last-ranked run defense, with Ameer Abdullah and Joique Bell each scoring a TD and rushing for more than 70 yards.

Not one of Stafford’s touchdown strikes went for more than 5 yards, but he was poised, accurate and did not turn the ball over.

“Obviously, if you complete 88 percent, that’s rare,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. “It’s very difficult to do that versus air. He was huge for us and spread it around quite a bit.”

Still, both teams took turns making the kinds of mistakes that losing teams do, producing a close game after it initially looked as though Detroit might run away with it.

“They got off to a fast start,” Brees said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t match them step for step. But I’m proud of the way our team fought down the stretch.”

The Lions led 28-3 when Abdullah scored on a 15-yard run around the left end in the third quarter. New Orleans responded with Brees’ 27-yard touchdown to Cooks and further closed the gap on Kai Forbath’s field goal after theLions made a stop on a third-and-goal from the 4.

But Abdullah fumbled on Detroit’s next play from scrimmage, and the Saints capitalized with Brees’ 11-yard scoring strike to Marques Colston.

Detroit looked ripe to self-destruct, but instead put together a clutch scoring drive that included Abdullah’s 27-yard run and Bell’s short rushing TD.

“We knew we had to stay on the field and be able to score points,” Stafford said. “You play Drew Brees in this place, it’s like an NBA basketball game. You know they are going to make a run.”

Brees’ late touchdown to Ben Watson closed the gap with 1:55 left, but New Orleans’ onside kick was recovered by Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, and the Lions marched deep into Saints territory before Matt Prater missed a field goal with 9 seconds left.

The Lions led 21-3 by halftime on Tate’s touchdown catches of 1 and 5 yards and fullback Michael Burton’s first career touchdown from 4 yards out.

The Saints thought they had a touchdown three times on their final drive of the first half but came away with nothing.

First, Cooks made a spectacular one-handed catch of Brees’ 28-yard pass and was initially ruled to have scored, but the call was changed after a video review, marking Cooks down at the 1.

Soon after, running back Tim Hightower found the end zone with a second-effort run, but New Orleans was flagged for illegal formation, with officials saying lineman Senio Kelemete failed to report as an eligible tight end. On fourth down, Brees hit Colston at the goal line, but New Orleans was flagged for an illegal man downfield, ending the half.

The Saints asserted that Kelemete reported on the play before he was flagged and should not have had to report again.

“Tough scenario there at the end of the first half where you feel like you have a touchdown,” Brees said. “I’m sure there will be explanations and maybe apologies about that.”

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Rodgers Give Green Bay Win

Aaron Rodgers threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Richard Rodgers with no time left to give the Green Bay Packers a 27-23 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thursday.

The Packers got the untimed down after Detroit defensive end Devin Taylor was called for grabbing Aaron Rodgers’ facemask on a tackle on what would’ve been the last play.

The Packers (8-4) had lost four of five. The Lions (4-8) had won three straight and blew a chance to sweep the season series for the first time since 1991.

Matthew Stafford connected with Calvin Johnson on his second touchdown pass of the first quarter to help Detroit build a 20-point lead that it couldn’t keep.

Aaron Rodgers scored on a 17-yard run with 3:04 left, pulling the Packers within two points.

Stafford connected with TJ Jones to convert a third-and-12 from the Detroit 18 after Green Bay called its final timeout with 2:54 to go. The Lions needed one more first down to seal the victory, but Green Bay forced them to punt and got the ball back on the 21 with 23 seconds left.

Following two incompletions, including one in which Detroit appeared to get away with pass interference, Aaron Rodgers threw a pass to James Jones and the ball was lateraled twice, leaving the quarterback with the ball and no one behind him to pitch to keep the play alive.

But Taylor grabbed Aaron Rodgers’ facemask, giving the Packers another play.

Aaron Rodgers scrambled long enough to give his receivers time to sprint to the end zone and got to the outside. The quarterback threw the ball, perhaps as high and far as he could, and his tight end found a way to get to it in front of a slew of players from both teams and leaped for the catch.

Aaron Rodgers finished 24 of 36 for 289 yards with two touchdowns.

Stafford was 23 of 35 for 220 yards and two scores.

Detroit went ahead 17-0 after its first three drives and capped the opening possession of the third quarter with a field goal to go ahead 20-0.

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Detroit Lions Rout Eagles

Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson combined for one of the best games of their careers, helping the surging Detroit Lions send the Philadelphia Eagles reeling.

Stafford tied a career high with five touchdown passes. Three of them were to Johnson, who also tied a personal best, in a 45-14 rout of Philadelphia on Thursday.

The Lions (4-7) have won three straight this season and three in a row in their annual Thanksgiving game. The Eagles (4-7) are on a three-game losing streak. They have allowed at least 45 points in two straight games in one season for the first time in team history.

Stafford threw for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover by halftime, helping the Lionslead 24-7. He finished 27 of 38 for 337 yards and threw five TDs for the fourth time in his career. Johnson had eight catches for 93 yards and three TDs, matching his career high set in 2010.

After not throwing to Johnson much early in the game, Stafford started connecting with the star receiver. The Eagles couldn’t do much about it, especially when starting cornerback Nolan Carroll left the game with a broken right ankle and was replaced by rookie Eric Rowe.

Stafford threw a 25-yard pass high in the end zone, where only the 6ft 5in Johnson could catch it, to put Detroit ahead 24-7 with 12 seconds left in the first half. The quarterback seems to be clicking with the plays called by offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who replaced the fired Joe Lombardi a month ago.

Taking advantage of Johnson in one-on-one coverage, Stafford threw 4- and 3-yard TD passes to Johnson in the third quarter.

Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez started in place of Sam Bradford, who was inactive with a shoulder injury. Sanchez completed 19 of 27 passes for 199 yards and two TDs.

Sanchez was able to connect with receivers when he had time, but that didn’t happen very often.

Detroit’s Ezekiel Ansah had a career-high four sacks, one of which forced a fumble by Sanchez. The Lions had six sacks as a team, equaling a season high.

After the Lions punted on their first drive, they did whatever they wanted on offense. Stafford started the scoring barrage with an eight-yard pass to Theo Riddick, who made a sharp move to the inside to get away from linebacker Mychal Kendricks late in the opening quarter.

The Eagles tied the game on the ensuing possession when Sanchez capped an 80-yard drive with a 2-yard pass to Brent Celek early in the second quarter.

Stafford threw a go-ahead, 2-yard TD midway through the second quarter to Golden Tate, who lined up as a fullback and went to the flat where he caught the ball and stopped, letting safety Walter Thurmond run past him.

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Johnson Beats Rice Record

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Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson has had a record-breaking night.

Johnson surpassed Jerry Rice's single-season yards receiving record of 1,848 with his 10th catch in the fourth quarter Saturday night. That put Johnson over the 200-yard mark in the game against the Atlanta Falcons. He needed 182 to surpass the mark Rice set in 1995 with the San Francisco 49ers.

Johnson had more than 100 yards receiving for an eighth straight game, breaking an NFL record set by Charley Hennigan in 1961 and matched by Michael Irvin in 1995. Johnson broke another league mark with 10 receptions in a fourth game in a row.

It was Johnson's 11th game with 100 yards receiving this season, tying Irvin's NFL mark.

In the first quarter, Johnson surpassed Herman Moore's single-season franchise record of 1,686 yards.

Befitting a season that has gone badly, Johnson fumbled in the first half to help Atlanta add to its big lead.

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Saints March Past Lions

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are pouring on the points, racking up the wins and rewriting the record books nearly every time they play.

Things sure are rollin' on the river.

Brees led an unstoppable offense by throwing for 466 yards and three touchdowns, and New Orleans dominated the second half for a 45-28 NFC wild-card victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night.

New Orleans broke the postseason mark for total yards with 626, beating the record set 49 years ago.

"We were pulling out all the stops," Brees said. "We play aggressive. We're not going to apologize for that. That gives guys in the huddle a lot of confidence. We're not going to pull the reins back. It's pedal to the medal."

Brees hit on 33 of 43 passes while throwing for the most yards in a regulation playoff game. He highlighted his night with three completions of at least 40 yards.

"We just focus on winning. We're not focused on yards and records," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "I'm serious when I say that."

As usual, the quarterback had plenty of help from an offense that set an NFL record for yards from scrimmage this season (7,474), outgaining Detroit on the ground 167 yards to 32. The Saints (14-3) will travel to San Francisco (13-3) for next Saturday's second-round game.

Matthew Stafford threw for 380 yards and three TDs for the Lions (10-7), who simply could not keep pace in their first playoff appearance since the 1999 season. They have lost seven straight postseason games.

"It's a learning experience for the whole team. We'll get better. We'll be back," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "Obviously it hurts right now."

All-Pro receiver Calvin Johnson had 12 receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns in his playoff debut for Detroit, but that was not nearly enough as the Saints' defense responded in the fourth quarter with two interceptions by Jabari Greer.

"We did make the playoffs this year and that's a great accomplishment," Johnson said. "We have some things to work on and we will. We know what we have to do to make the next step."

The teams combined for 1,083 yards, tying an NFL playoff record set by Buffalo and Miami on Dec. 30, 1995. The Superdome will likely host a much different contest on Monday night, when defensive stalwarts LSU and Alabama meet for the BCS national title. Fans in the dome cheered wildly for the LSU band as it played before the game and at halftime, then enjoyed a second half that culminated in what they hope will be the first of two Big Easy celebrations in three nights.

Pierre Thomas finished with 66 yards and one touchdown rushing, while Sproles added 51 yards, two scores and several other clutch plays.

Marques Colston overcame an early fumble with seven catches for 120 yards, including a 40-yarder to set up Jimmy Graham's short TD grab.

Robert Meachem had four catches for 111 yards, including a 56-yard score. Devery Henderson added a 41-yard touchdown reception.

New Orleans showed guts and got a little good fortune on a decisive 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. The Saints ran Sproles around the left end on fourth-and-2 at the Lions 40 and gained 3 yards. Soon after, Brees' pass as he was clobbered by Nick Fairley went right through the hands of defensive back Aaron Berry.

Berry would regret that drop two plays later as Sproles bolted 17 yards to make it 31-21.

Stafford tried to get some of that back quickly, throwing deep for Titus Young, but Greer ran under it and picked it off. Four plays later, Brees spotted Meachem behind blown coverage for his long score to make it 38-21.

The Lions became only the second visiting team all year to lead at halftime in the Superdome, where the Saints were unbeaten during the regular season.

"So going into halftime at a deficit, we just realized, 'Listen, just bear down, one play at a time, one drive at a time,'" Brees said, "and I think we scored on every drive in the second half. I guess that's what you hope for."

New Orleans has won nine in a row overall.

The Saints opened the second half by driving 78 yards to take their first lead on Brees' 31-yard pass to Henderson. New Orleans then widened its lead to 24-14 with a 92-yard drive that included what may have been a favorable spot on Colston's third-down grab at the Saints 18. Later, Brees converted a risky dive over the pile on fourth-and-1 at the New Orleans 38 to sustain the drive before finding Colston for a 40-yard gain to the Detroit 3. Brees hit Graham for a score on the next play.

"It was fourth and inches and we felt like we had a rhythm going," Brees said. "Obviously it was a gutsy call but we've been known to make those types of calls."

The Lions fought back with a quick 80-yard scoring drive highlighted by Stafford's 42-yard completion to Johnson at the Saints 2, setting up Stafford's dive for the pylon on a bootleg that made it 24-21 late in the third quarter.

Detroit could not have planned a much better start to its first playoff game since the '99 season.

Stafford completed five of his first six throws for 70 yards, starting with a 22-yard completion to Johnson on the second play from scrimmage. A 10-yard strike to reserve tight end Will Heller gave the Lions a 7-0 lead.

New Orleans responded by quickly driving into Lions territory, but Colston was stripped by Stephen Tulloch on the 18-yard line and Justin Durant recovered. It was a rare lost fumble for the Saints, who had an NFL low and franchise record low five during the regular season.

New Orleans found the end zone on its next drive to tie it at 7, but Stafford led the Lions right back downfield, hitting Johnson in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard score.

The Saints then fumbled a second time in Detroit territory when Brees was stripped just before throwing by defensive end Willie Young and the ball squirted to Durant for his second recovery. Durant wanted to return it, but the play was inexplicably blown dead. What might have been a touchdown return instead became a stalled drive.

The Saints thought they had tied it when Colston's catch in the back of the end zone was ruled a touchdown, but it was overturned on replay and New Orleans wound up settling for John Kasay's 24-yard field goal and a 14-10 halftime deficit.