detroit lions vs. st. louis rams the season begins consistency up front ...

GAME #13
LIONS 34, VIKINGS 28
FORD FIELD, DECEMBER 11, 2011
ATTENDANCE: 63,988
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q OT Final
MINNESOTA IKINGS V
7 7 7 7 - 28
DETROIT LIONS 21 10 0 3 - 34
LIONS ..................Tulloch fumble recovery in end zone (Hanson kick)
LIONS ..................Young 57 yd. pass from Staff ord (Hanson kick)
LIONS ..................Pettigrew 12 yd. pass from Staff ord (Hanson kick)
VIKINGS ..............Shiancoe 7 yd. pass from Ponder (Longwell kick)
LIONS ..................A. Smith 30 yd. interception return (Hanson kick)
VIKINGS ..............Harvin 6 yd. pass from Ponder (Longwell kick)
LIONS ..................Hanson 30 yd. Field Goal
VIKINGS ..............Webb 65 yd. run (Longwell kick)
LIONS ..................Hanson 26 yd. Field Goal
VIKINGS ..............Gerhart 2 yd. pass from Webb (Longwell kick)
VIKINGS LIONS
First Downs 29 13
Total Net Yards 425 280
Net Yards Rushing 269 72
Net Yards Passing 156 208
(Att/Comp/Int) 37-22-2 22-10-2
Punts-Average 2-48.5 6-47.7
Fumbles-Lost 5-3 0-0
Sacks-Yards 5-19 4-43
Penalties-Yards 5-37 10-76
Time of Possession 28:46 31:14
RUSHING
VIKINGS: Webb 7-109 1 TD; Gerhart 19-90; Harvin 4-40; Booker 3-17;
Ponder 2-13.
LIONS: Williams 12-43; Morris 4-13; Johnson 1-11; Staff ord 2-4; Burleson
1-1; Brown 1-0.
PASSING
VIKINGS: Webb 12-23 84, 1 TD; Ponder 11-21 115, 2 TD, 3 INT.
LIONS: Staff ord 20-29 227 2 TD.
RECEIVING
VIKINGS: Harvin 10-69 1 TD; Aromashodu 4-47; Shinacoe 3-33 1 TD; Gerhart
3-19 1 TD; Camarillo 2-31; Rudolph 1-0.
LIONS: Pettigrew 6-57 1 TD; Young 4-87 1 TD; Johnson 3-29; Burleson
3-25; Williams 2-17; Brown 1-9; Morris 1-3.
SUMMARY
A er the Lions stormed back from a big defi cit in the teams’ fi rst meeting earlier
in the season, the Vikings almost returned the favor in Week 13. Coming off two
straight losses to NFC powers, the Lions looked to start fast against the struggling
Vikings and accomplished their goal. On Minnesota’s fi rst off ensive play, rookie QB
Christian Ponder was sacked by Lions DE Cliff Avril, stripped of the football, and
Detroit’s Stephen Tulloch jumped on the ball in the end zone for the game’s opening
touchdown. On Minnesota’s next drive, on a 3rd-and-long situation, Ponder was
picked off by CB Alphonso Smith. Three plays later, Lions QB Matthew Staff ord
hit rookie WR Titus Young down the le sideline for a 57-yard touchdown. A er a
punt from the Vikings, the Lions continued to add to their lead. A good punt return
by return man Stefan Logan set them up at Vikings’ 34-yard line; Staff ord found
his tight end, Brandon Pettigrew on a 17-yard pitch and catch that included the
265-pounder hurdling over a defender. The two connected again on the very next
play on a corner route for a 17-yard score to push the Detroit lead to 21-0. Down
three touchdowns with their best player (RB Adrian Peterson) inactive with an ankle
injury, things looked bleak for the 2-10 Vikings, but they fought back into the game.
Late in the fi rst quarter, Ponder led the team on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that was
capped off by a 7-yard tight end screen to Visanthe Shiancoe. With a little bit of
momentum, the Vikings defense held the Lions and forced them into a punt. On
their next drive, however, Ponder was picked off again by Smith, who returned it 30
yards for a touchdown. Minnesota answered on its next possession as Ponder again
led a 10-play drive that resulted in a 6-yard touchdown pass to WR Percy Harvin.
Detroit added a 30-yard fi eld goal by K Jason Hanson late in the second quarter
to take a 31-14 advantage into the hal ime locker room. Minnesota received the
second half kickoff , but once again the Lions defense forced them into a turnover.
Ponder was intercepted by CB Eric Wright, giving the ball back to the Lions and
ending his day. A er a Lions punt, QB Joe Webb replaced Ponder as the signal-caller
and instantly brought some energy to his team. On his fi rst drive, the mobile Webb
escaped a third-down pass rush and raced all alone down the right sideline for a
65-yard touchdown run. Up by 10 entering the fourth quarter, the Lions added a
second Hanson fi eld goal to increase their lead. However, Webb proved diffi cult to
stop as he drove the Vikings down the fi eld and threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to
RB Toby Gerhart to bring Minnesota within six. A er each team punted, the Vikings
were in position to have the fi nal drive looking for a game-winning touchdown.
With 3:32 remaining, Minnesota started on their 20 and methodically moved the
ball down the fi eld. They converted two fourth down plays on the drive, including
a 4th-and-6 from the Lions’ 12. An off side penalty by the Lions gave Minnesota
a 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 0:09 le . On what turned out to be the
fi nal play of the game, Webb rolled to his le , was sacked by Lions LB DeAndre
Levy forcing a fumble. The ball bounced down the fi eld before Avril rolled on top
of it at the Minnesota’ 43-yard line securing the victory.
SEASON IN REVIEW
Detroit<strong>lions</strong>.com
Media.Detroit<strong>lions</strong>.com
GAME #14
LIONS 28, RAIDERS 27
O.co COLISEUM, DECEMBER 18, 2011
ATTENDANCE: 59,069
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q OT Final
DETROIT LIONS 7 7 0 14 - 28
OAKLAND RA IDERS 7 10 0 10 - 27
RAIDERS .............Murphy 12 yd. run (Janikowski kick)
LIONS ..................Johnson 51 yd. pass from Staff ord (Hanson kick)
RAIDERS .............Heyward-Bey 43 yd. pass from Palmer (Janikowski kick)
LIONS ..................Burleson 39 yd. pass from Staff ord (Hanson kick)
RAIDERS .............Janikowski 46 yd. Field Goal
RAIDERS .............Janikowski 51 yd. Field Goal
RAIDERS .............Curry 6 yd. fumble return (Janikowski kick)
LIONS ..................Young 3 yd. pass from Staff ord (Hanson kick)
LIONS ..................Johnson 6 yd. pass from Staff ord (Hanson kick)
First Downs
Total Net Yards
Net Yards Rushing
Net Yards Passing
(Att/Comp/Int)
Punts-Average
Fumbles-Lost
Sacks-Yards
Penalties-Yards
Time of Possession
LIONS
25
432
57
375
52-29-0
6-42.8
1-1
3-22
9-72
28:27
RAIDERS
26
477
132
345
40-32-0
5-47.0
1-1
2-16
10-86
31:33
RUSHING
LIONS: Smith 15-43; Logan 1-5; Staff ord 1-5; Young 1-4; Williams 1-0.
RAIDERS: Bush 18-77; Reece 1-26; Murphy 2-16; Moore 1-13.
PASSING
LIONS: Staff ord 29-52 391 4 TD.
RAIDERS: Palmer 32-40 367 1 TD.
RECEIVING
LIONS: Johnson 9-214 2 TD; Burleson 7-81 1 TD; Pettigrew 5-49; Young
5-21 1 TD; Logan 1-19; Scheffl er 1-4; Smith 1-3.
RAIDERS: Heyward-Bey 8-155 1 TD; Bush 7-62; Houshmandzadeh 6-52;
Boss 3-47; Reece 3-16; Schilens 2-14; Moore 2-13; Murphy 1-8.
SUMMARY
In a pivotal matchup with playoff implications for both teams, Oakland and Detroit
faced off in Week 15 at the O.co Coliseum. The Raiders, looking to bounce back from
a loss the previous Sunday to the Green Bay Packers, got off to the quick start at
home and raced out to an early lead. On their second possession, FB Marcel Reece
bolted through a hole off le tackle and down the le sideline for 26 yards. A er
three Lions penalties put the ball at the 12-yard line, WR Louis Murphy took an end
around and raced to the pylon for the game’s opening touchdown. On the subsequent
possession, the Lions responded and tied the game. A er a 3rd-down conversion from
QB Matthew Staff ord to WR Titus Young and a short pass to WR Nate Burleson on
fi rst down, Staff ord hit his favorite target, WR Calvin Johnson, in stride behind the
Oakland secondary for a 51-yard touchdown. The Raiders regained the lead early in
the second quarter when QB Carson Palmer led a 94-yard drive that was capped off
with a 43-yard pass to WR Darrius Heyward-Bey. On the play, Heyward-Bey took
a skinny post pattern, broke a tackle from CB Chris Houston, and galloped through
the safeties for the score. Like in the fi rst quarter, Staff ord once again countered
the Raiders touchdown with one of his own. A er two completions to Johnson, the
third-year quarterback found Burleson down the middle of the fi eld for a 39-yard
score. With just 1:14 le in the fi rst half, Palmer drove the Raiders into Lions territory
and set up K Sebastian Janikowski for a 46-yard fi eld goal as time expired. The third
quarter was owned by both defenses as they forced three combined punts, a fourth
down stop by the Raiders defense and a vital fumble recovery by the Lions. On the
forced fumble and recovery by Detroit, Heyward-Bey caught a pass down the middle
from Palmer for 29 yards. Chasing him from behind, LB Justin Durant stripped the ball
and CB Alphonso Smith recovered to take potential points off the scoreboard from the
Raiders. The Lions off ense did not take advantage of the turnover and were forced to
punt it back to Oakland early in the fourth quarter. On the next drive, Janikowski hit
a second fi eld goal, this one from 51 yards out. Down by six, Detroit started the next
possession from its own 14-yard line. A er two incompletions, Staff ord dropped back
on 3rd down, was sacked by DT Tommy Kelly, stripped, and LB Aaron Curry recovered
it and returned it for a touchdown. Trailing by 13 and momentum on the side of the
home team, Detroit, who has had three substantial comebacks already in the season,
proved once again that the Lions never quit. Staff ord led a 10-play, 71-yard drive that
ended with a 3-yard strike to Young. On the drive, Staff ord connected with TE Brandon
Pettigrew on two important 3rd downs as well as ran a QB draw on 4th-and-2 from the
Oakland 8-yard line to keep the drive going. While the Lions defense was able to force
an Raiders to punt, P Shane Lechler dropped the kick inside the 5-yard line and had it
downed at the 2-yard line. So with 2:14 remaining and 98 yards to go, Detroit would
need their playmakers to step up. A er the off ense converted their fi rst fi rst down,
the Staff ord-Johnson combination would strike again as they connected on a 21-yard
play along the sideline. A er a booth review confi rmed the catch, Johnson got behind
the Oakland defense for a 48-yard gain on the very next play. A pass interference call
took the ball inside the Raiders 10-yard line and on 2nd-and-goal from the 6, Staff ord
hit Johnson in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. With just 0:39
remaining, Palmer hit TE Kevin Boss on consecutive passes to get the ball to midfi eld.
A sack by Lions DE Cliff Avril forced the Raiders to burn their last timeout, but Palmer
found T.J. Houshmandzadeh along the sideline for 6 yards to give Janikowski a chance
at a game-winning fi eld goal. His 65-yard attempt, however, was blocked by Lions
DT Ndamukong Suh and Detroit prevailed with a 28-27 victory.