FLASH RECAP:
Detroit scores two touchdowns in the final 4:59 to stun host Oakland before an announced crowd of 59,069 at O.co Coliseum on Dec. 18, 2011.
Matthew Stafford throws for four touchdowns, including two late in the fourth quarter as the Lions (9-5) earn their first winning season since 2000.
Aaron Curry returns a Stafford fumble for a 6-yard TD after a Tommy Kelly sack, giving Oakland (7-7) a 27-14 advantage with 7:47 left.
Stafford’s 3-yard scoring pass to Titus Young narrows the Detroit deficit to 27-21 with 4:59 left. After the Lions get the ball back following a Shane Lechler punt with 2:14 to play, Stafford engineers a masterful 98-yard, seven-play drive. Stafford’s 6-yard TD pass to Calvin Johnson with 39 seconds left is followed by Jason Hanson’s game-winning PAT.
Carson Palmer drives Oakland to the Detroit 48 with four seconds left before Sebastian Janikowski’s 65-yard field goal attempt is blocked by Ndamukong Suh on the game’s final play.
“Very demoralizing,” Palmer tells reporters after Oakland's third straight loss. “We had chances to close them out and a chance to put them away there and just didn’t make enough plays when it came down to it.”
The Lions' Johnson finishes with nine catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns, For the Raiders, Palmer throws for 367 yards and a TD and Darrius Heyward-Bey has eight catches for 155 yards and a TD.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
WR Calvin Johnson — Torches the Raiders pass defense for nine catches, 214 yards and two TDs. His 6-yard scoring catch with 39 seconds remaining deadlocks the score at 27-all.
QB Matthew Stafford — Is 29 of 52 passing for 391 yards and four TDs. He finishes with a passer rating of 105.5.
Ndamukong Suh — In his first game back after a two-game suspension, he blocks Sebastian Jankowski’s 65-yard field goal attempt on the final play to preserve the Lions’ victory.
QB Carson Palmer — Is 32 of 40 passing for 367 yards, one TD and an efficiency rating of 113.2. Palmer overthows Chaz Schilens on a third-and-three from the Detroit 48 with 2:27 remaining. With the Lions out of timeouts, the Raiders could have run out the clock if Palmer connects with Schilens.
KEY STATS:
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders S Tyvon Branch
“I’m just proud of our team. We stuck together. We could have easily folded right after I fumbled that ball and they scored. Guys rallied around each other, defense did a great job of getting us the ball back on offense, and we went down and put the dagger in there.”
Lions QB Matthew Stafford
“It’s probably one of the worst things that happened since I’ve been here. To be winning like we were winning and then just not being able to close. ... That definitely hurts especially because we knew how important this game was.”
Raiders S Mike Mitchell
BY THE NUMBERS:
DID YOU KNOW?:
WR Darrius Heyward Bay — Has eight catches for 155 yards (both career highs) and a TD. His lost fumble at the Detroit 8-yard line after a 29-yard catch late in the third period negates a promising Oakland drive.
DT Tommy Kelly — He forces a fumble on a sack of Matthew Stafford at the Detroit 6. Linebacker Aaron Curry scoops up the loose ball and scores on a 6-yard fumble return, giving Oakland a 27-14 lead with 7:47 left.
Detroit is the first team since at least 1950 with four comeback wins in one season from deficits of 13 points or more, according to STATS, LLC.
Calvin Johnson’s 214 receiving yards are second most ever against the Raiders, trailing Don Maynard’s 228 for the Jets in the Heidi Game in 1968. It is also
second most ever by a Detroit player, trailing Richard Johnson’s 248 vs. New Orleans in 1989.
The Raiders surrender 391 passing yards against the Lions. Oakland enters the game ranked 17th against the pass, allowing 233.7 yards per game.
The Raiders are only 1 for 11 on third down tries
Before driving for touchdowns on their final two drives, the Lions had only 263 total yards. They finish with 432 yards.
The Raiders have 132 rushing yards on 22 attempts — their best rushing output since 162 yards against Minnesota on Nov. 20.
"We knew we had to win that one, we fought hard and let it slip. These are the games you remember and they hurt for a long time.’’
3-4: Raiders' home record this season.
3: Consecutive Raiders losses to the Lions.
4: Penalties on Raiders CB Stanford Routt, including a pass interference infraction to the Oakland 6 on Detroit's final scoring drive.
19: Combined penalties by the Raiders (10 for 86 yards) and the Lions (9 for 72).
With the first of two fourth-quarter PATs, the Lions’ Jason Hanson becomes only the sixth player in NFL reach to reach 2,000 career points — and the first to accomplish the feat with one franchise.
The Lions improve to 2-3 against the Raiders in regular-season games in Oakland. The Raiders lead the series 6-5.
