Stafford helps Lions taste victory over Redskins
03:22 AM CDT on Monday, September 28, 2009
DETROIT – It's the arm that separated Matthew Stafford from Mark Sanchez in the 2009 draft.
It's the arm that separates Stafford from Joey Harrington, Andre Ware, Chuck Long and all the other failed first-round draft picks in Detroit's franchise history.
It's also the arm that snapped Detroit's franchise-long 19-game losing streak with a 19-14 triumph Sunday over the Washington Redskins.
Scouts talked glowingly last draft season of Stafford having the cannon arm of John Elway and the lightning release of Dan Marino. He's wild, at times – but don't ever underestimate his ability to air it out.
The Redskins underestimated Stafford when it mattered most – on an incomplete pass, of all things.
The Lions were in control of the game with a 13-0 halftime lead, running off 48 plays to Washington's 18. But the Redskins chipped away with a touchdown in the third quarter, and the non-sellout crowd of 40,896 could sense victory slipping away from their Lions in the fourth quarter.
Detroit was trying to burn the clock with some runs but found itself in a third-and-9 from the Washington 48 with 6:18 to play. Stafford was flushed from the pocket to his left and the Washington defense, sensing the kill, advanced toward him.
But while on the move – and throwing across his body – Stafford stunned the Redskins by launching a 48-yard bomb to a wide-open Bryant Johnson at the goal line. Washington safety Chris Horton scrambled deep to cover Johnson but wound up running into him as the ball arrived. The two collided and the pass bounded away incomplete.
But Horton was flagged for pass interference, giving the Lions the ball at the Washington 1. Two plays later, Maurice Morris took a pitchout to his left and powered in for a touchdown and a 19-7 lead. That allowed the Lions to withstand a late rally by the Redskins and post their first victory since Dec. 23, 2007.
It was the maturation game for Stafford, the first selection of the 2009 draft by way of Highland Park High School and Georgia. After throwing five interceptions in Detroit's first two losses, Stafford did not turn the ball over and took only two sacks against a top 10 defense.
Stafford steered the Lions on scoring drives of 99, 86, 85 and 74 yards. He completed 21 of 36 passes for 241 yards and had another completion of 58 yards wiped out by an offensive pass-interference call.
Stafford threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Johnson on a first-quarter laser shot over the helmet of Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers to cap the 99-yard drive.
"His confidence and command showed today," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said.