Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons Box Score on Oct 26, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 26, 2014


Lions 22, Falcons 21: Matt Prater booted his third field goal of the game from 48 yards as time expired as Detroit erased a 21-point halftime deficit to stun Atlanta in the 10th regular-season game held at London's Wembley Stadium.

Prater, the third kicker used by the Lions this season, missed a 43-yard attempt wide right but Detroit was whistled for a delay-of-game penalty, giving him a reprieve. The former Denver kicker, who was suspended the first four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, split the uprights to give the Lions (6-2) their third consecutive victory.

Matt Stafford (24-of-47) threw for 325 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, coming up with completions of 32 and 20 yards to move Detroit from its own 7-yard line into position for the decisive kick. Golden Tate had seven catches for 151 yards - his second straight 150-yard game - and running back Theo Riddick added eight catches for 74 yards and a TD.

Matt Ryan finished 20-of-27 for 228 yards with the two scoring passes and one costly interception as the Falcons (2-6) skidded to their fifth straight defeat. Steven Jackson rushed for a season-high 60 yards and a touchdown for Atlanta, which managed only 80 total yards in the second half after dominating the opening 30 minutes.

The Lions' comeback started in earnest when Tate exploited an enormous gaffe by the Falcons' defense and got free for a 59-yard TD pass on third-and-25 before a dreadful pass by Ryan was picked off by Cassius Vaughn near midfield, leading to Prater's second field goal and a 21-13 deficit with 14:10 remaining. Stafford drove Detroit 69 yards in 13 plays, finding Riddick on a 5-yard scoring pass with 3:56 to play, but the two-point conversion pass failed.

Ryan carved up the Lions' top-ranked defense on Atlanta's first two possessions, tossing a 7-yard scoring pass to Devonta Freeman and a 1-yarder to tight end Bear Pascoe for a 14-0 first-quarter lead. After matching penalties negated a 103-yard interception return by Detroit's Rashean Mathis, Jackson capped an 89-yard march with a 1-yard run to make it 21-0 at the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Stafford's scoring strike to Tate was the 119th TD pass of his career, moving him past Hall of Famer Bobby Layne for the most in franchise history. ... Jackson became the 19th player in league history to rush for more than 11,000 yards. ... Lions DT tackle Nick Fairley suffered what appeared to be a serious injury to his right knee early in the second quarter. He had to be assisted off the field and was carted to the locker room.