I was ready to write an article asking how the Lions would react after a loss.
That's going to have to wait for a while as Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson hooked up in the second half to prove to Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and ESPN analyst Chris Carter that Megatron is indeed an elite receiver.
Let's not forget the Lions defense coming up huge with three interceptions, two of them returned for touchdowns. That had to light a fire under the offense and put a world of worry to the Cowboys defense. The sleeping giant awoke.
So to those people who have stated the Lions haven't really beaten a team of playoff caliber, this game has dispelled that notion.
A come from behind 34-30 win in Dallas. Need me to say it again?
A come from behind, 34 to 30 win... in Dallas.
Things didn't look so good as Detroit's first series ended with a Matthew Stafford interception.
After that, the Lions looked just a little bit like the Lions of old—on the road in a big game and looking listless.
Outside of a nice run by Jahvid Best, the offense did pretty much nothing in the first half. With the only scoring coming off of Jason Hanson's right foot for a 33-yard field goal. Lions were outscored in the first half by 17 points.
And it wasn't looking too good at the start of the third quarter either. Hanson slipped on the kickoff and the Cowboys started off with great field position.
But then the Lions defense took control of the game.
Bobby Carpenter picked off a Tony Romo pass and took it back 34 yards for a score.
On the very next series, Chris Houston stepped in front of another Romo pass and scampered 56 yards for another score.
And then the giant awoke. Calvin Johnson had been held to three catches for 39 yards to that point.
But Johnson, Stafford and the rest of the Detroit Lions don't have any give-up in them.
Johnson and Stafford hooked up for an unbelievable 23 yard touchdown.
Jason Hanson, the ageless wonder, kicked a 51-yard field goal to shrink the lead to three.
Stephen Tulloch picked off Tony Romo again to give the Lions a short field with about three minutes left.
Lions head coach Jim Schwartz called some very smart plays to get time off the clock as well as force the Cowboys to use their timeouts on defense.
Then with 1:44 left, Stafford dropped back and flicked the ball toward Calvin Johnson, who secured it with the best hands in the NFL to put Detroit up 34-30.
Great teams find ways to win when the "A" game isn't there. The Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys, a team that Jerry Jones and just about everyone in Texas expects to go to the playoffs, in the last moments of the game.
Will the Lions lose this year? I expect so, but for the first time in ten years, I think the wins will far outnumber the losses.
The Detroit Lions are now 4-0. They've played three of those games on the road.
The Lions' next three games are in Detroit, Monday night against a struggling Chicago Bears, a rebuilding San Francisco team and a big barometer of a game against a strong Atlanta Falcons team.
With any luck, these Lions could be looking at a 6-1 record before heading to Denver.
The Detroit Lions, they are for real, folks.
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