Titus Young's second touchdown catch of the game came with 20 seconds to play and led the Detroit Lions to a 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field.
Young had a career game as he finished with nine catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Matthew Stafford led the team on two fourth quarter touchdown drives to help the Lions (3-4) avoid a second straight loss.
"There were guys all week telling me that this was my opportunity to step up and make plays," said Young. "I took it upon myself to do the best I could and be there for my team this week."
Stafford went 34-for-49 with 352 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while also scoring once on the ground, and rookie Ryan Broyles had a touchdown catch for the second straight game for Detroit, which moved to 2-1 at home this season.
"I was just out there having fun and that's what it's all about," said Stafford. "Football, the fourth quarter is fun and all the guys know that. The difference with this week was that we showed up in the first half and we're able to put ourselves into a position to win. I'm just proud of the guys for hanging in there today."
Russell Wilson was 25-for-35 with 236 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while Marshawn Lynch had 12 carries for 105 yards and a score for the Seahawks (4-4), who have dropped their past two.
Seattle had taken the lead with 5:27 to play, but it was plenty of time for the Lions offense to go to work. Starting at the 20, Calvin Johnson caught a pass for 15 yards. Using a short passing game, Stafford completed six straight passes for 40 yards. Facing a 3rd-and-10 at the Seattle 12, Stafford hit Joique Bell for 11 yards down to the Seattle one. After two incompletions, Stafford whipped a low pass to his left, where Young made the catch for a 28-24 lead with 20 seconds to play.
After nearly turning over the ball on the kickoff, Seattle found itself with the ball at the Detroit 18. Following an incompletion, Charly Martin caught a pass over the middle and the team tried to use laterals, but ultimately fumbled and Detroit recovered to end the game.
"We're disappointed in losing the game, especially after the terrific drive we had late in the game," said Seattle head coach Peter Carroll. "We couldn't hold them when we had to and finish them off. We were really bad on third downs today and that hurt us badly."
Seattle's first possession of the game bore fruit thanks to a key penalty by Detroit. The Seahawks had to punt on 4th-and-5 from near midfield, but an illegal formation call on the Lions gave Seattle a fresh set of downs. The drive then stalled at the 5-yard line and a 23-yard field goal from Steven Hauschka gave the team a 3-0 lead with 5:30 to play in the first.
The Lions responded with one of their more impressive drives of the season as a nine-play, 82-yard march was capped when Stafford snapped a high pass to the left side, where Broyles made a leaping catch and stretched the ball into the end zone on a 6-yard score for a 7-3 lead on the last play of the first quarter.
It didn't take Seattle long, though, to get the lead back. On the first play after the kickoff, Lynch took a pitch out to the right and raced down the sideline untouched on a 77-yard score for a 10-7 lead.
Following a three-and-out from the Lions, the Seahawks got the ball back near midfield and the first play saw a 41-yard pass interference call on the Lions. Three plays later, Wilson hit Sidney Rice at the left side of the end zone for a 9-yard score.
Detroit came right back with a score of its own. On the sixth play at the Seattle 46, Young made a move to get behind the defense and Stafford hit him in stride in the end zone to make it a 17-14 game with 8:49 to play in the second quarter.
The Lions crossed midfield on their first touch of the third quarter and got down to the Seattle 29, but Stafford was picked off by Earl Thomas and Seattle got the ball back at its own 3-yard line.
Seattle was able to get out of trouble with a 16-yard catch by Robert Turbin on 3rd-and-5. Three plays later, though, Wilson went deep and was picked off by Ricardo Silva at Detroit's 44.
On the next play, Johnson caught his first pass of the game for 25 yards to move it to the Seattle 31. The team later had a 1st-and-goal at the 2 and on the third play, Stafford rolled out to the right and took the ball in for a 21-17 lead with 11:35 to play.
Seattle, though, calmly responded with a scoring drive of its own to take the lead. After converting a 3rd-and-10, the team later found itself facing a 4th- and-2 at the Detroit 32. Opting to go for it, Wilson hit Golden Tate for six yards to move the chains. Two plays later, Wilson lofted the ball into the left side of the end zone and Zach Miller made a nice catch for a 16-yard score and a 21-17 lead with 5:27 to play.
Game Notes
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