Looking Back At The Detroit Lions Big Upset Win On Sunday Night.
First Quarter
The Patriots started this game with possession of the ball and surprisingly were unable to pick up a single first down. Detroit’s offense was able to do the opposite, going on a 12-play 65-yard drive that ended with a field goal made by Matt Prater.
The Lions defense continued their dominance on the ensuing New England possession, forcing another three and out after a negative one-yard run and two incomplete Tom Brady passes.
Score: Lions Lead 3-0
Second Quarter
The Lions second possession was another long one, which started in the first quarter and ended in the second. In nine plays they went 60 yards, and Matthew Stafford found Kenny Golladay at the goal line for a 4-yard touchdown.
On the Patriots third possession of the game, they again went three and out.
The Lions offense continued their dominance after that with a 14-play drive that went 71 yards, ending with another Prater field goal.
The Patriots were finally able to get going before halftime, with an 11 play drive that not only saw them pick up their first first-down of the game but score with a field goal right before halftime.
Score: Lions Lead 13-3
Third Quarter
The momentum of the game appeared to have a major swing at the start of the second half when Stafford threw an interception was followed by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to James White.
The Lions were able to rebound in a massive way though. After converting three third downs, Stafford found Marvin Jones deep for a 33-yard touchdown pass to go up by 10.
Score: Lions Lead 20-10
Fourth Quarter
After forcing another Patriot punt, Detroit went on another good drive, culminating in another Prater field goal.
Down by 13 midway through the fourth quarter, the Patriots needed a touchdown. Brady forced the ball deep, and star Lions defender Darius Slay was able to pick it off, effectively putting the game away for Detroit.
Later, after a failed Patriot fourth down conversion attempt, the Lions scored another field goal.
Score: Lions Win 26-10
Key Stats
The Patriots were held to 209 yards and just 12 first downs
The Lions defense was amazing on Sunday night. They forced the Patriot to go three and out on each of the first three possessions and to only 10 points. The Detroit defense handled what is normally one of the best offenses in the NFL.
The Patriots were just 2/9 on third down
A huge part of the Lions defensive success was on third down. The let the Patriots convert just twice, so they were consistently able to get off the field.
Kerryon Johnson broke 100 yards rushing
For the first time since Thanksgiving of 2013 (70 games), the Lions had a 100 yard rusher. Kerryon Johnson had a fantastic game and was able to cross the century mark in the fourth quarter.
The Lions won the time of possession 39:15 to 20:45
The Lions offense was awesome. They kept Brady off of the field for 2/3 of the game, while consistently turning long drives into points. Any NFL that can possess the ball for this long is extremely likely to win.
Plays Of The Game
Kenny Golladay’s 4 Yard Touchdown Reception
https://streamable.com/vt9pi
Marvin Jones’s 33-yard touchdown
https://streamable.com/wekcg
Darius Slay’s Interception
https://streamable.com/0jp2a
Lions Player Of The Game
Kerryon Johnson was the best player in Honolulu blue this week. He ran for 101 yards on just 16 carries (6.3 yards per rush). Johnson consistently tore off big runs and kept the Lions offense moving the chains all night. He was a huge part of why they were able to dominate the time of possession.
There is no reason Johnson shouldn’t be the Lions bell cow back going forward. If he sees at least 20 touches per game going forward, the Lions offense could be as dominant as it was on Sunday night in every game.
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