59-yard field goal seals deal for Lions
Prater’s last-second FG saves the day after Detroit blows big lead to Washington
Nothing has come easy for the Detroit Lions this season.
After watching a 21-point lead disappear in the second half, the Lions rallied with a 59-yard field goal from kicker Matt Prater as time expired to squeeze out a 30-27 win over the Washington Football Team on Sunday at Ford Field.
“It feels good,” Lions receiver Marvin Hall said Monday. “It's the nature of the beast in the NFL. There's up and downs, highs and lows.”
Three of Detroit's five losses this season have come after the team built a double-digit lead and there was a sense of déjà vu Sunday when Washington hit a 41-yard field goal with 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford hit a pair of short passes, but a roughing the passer call by prize Washington rookie Chase Young gave Prater a chance to take the momentum back.
“It's just a field goal,” said Prater, who came into the game having missed at least one field goal in four straight games. “Like I said in the past, I know I haven't had the best year, but anytime
I go out, I expect to make them and coming through in those moments for the team is always big and great job by the team for getting down there to even give us a shot at it, with however many seconds were there when we got the ball after the kickoff. So it was pretty cool.”
Against a Washington team that seemed to have seized momentum, it saved the Lions from a potential devastating loss against a rebuilding team with just two wins in nine games.
“We don't pay attention to the outside noise,” said Hall, whose team has been criticized for getting three of its four wins against teams under .500. “All we can do is stay together, continue to fight and come out with as many W's as we can.”
It was Detroit's first win at home in more than a year and while far from a signature or statement victory, Stafford was making no apologies.
“I mean, every game we win, we've got to clean stuff up,” Stafford said. “This one is no different. There are definitely some things we can do better and it'll help stretch the lead, but I'm just proud of our guys for fighting.
“A win is a win. It's tough to win in this league. I'm never going to apologize for one. Could we play better? Yeah, but we did a nice job not turning the ball over, defence did a nice job getting some stops, our special teams was nails, as it always is, so that was great.”
At 4-5, the Lions can at least continue to talk about the playoffs with upcoming games against Carolina (3-7) and Houston (2-7) in the next two weeks.
“We can't focus on that,” said Hall, who pulled in a 55-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring. “As far as playoffs, when it comes around hopefully we're there, but we're not going to focus on it.”
Stafford suffered a thumb injury on his throwing hand in the first quarter, but stayed in to finish 24-of-33 for 276 yards and three touchdowns. That put him at 273 career touchdown passes, which ties Joe Montana for 17th on the all-time NFL passing list.
“I did get some X-rays after the game,” Stafford said in his weekly television appearance on FOX 2 Detroit. “They were negative, no fractures or breaks in there.
“A couple, I'm sure, tests throughout the week, but I'm going to do everything I can to be out there.”
Lions head coach Matt Patricia had little update on receiver Danny Amendola, who was forced from the game in the second half with a hip injury.
“I have no updates on him right now,” Patricia said Monday. “We'll see how that goes. Danny's a pretty tough guy though. Danny does everything he can to be out there.”