What went right?
5. Matt Prater was phenomenal
Kicker Matt Prater was a force for the Lions all year. He converted all nine of his 50-plus-yard attempts and made 33 of 38 field-goal attempts, as well as all but two of his 33-yard extra point attempts. He also twice made late field goals to tie games against the Minnesota Vikings and made game-winning kicks against the Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams with less than 2 minutes left in regulation time.
4. Emergence of Zach Zenner
With injuries to Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick, an opportunity arose. Once the Lions started using rookie Zach Zenner, his game took off. His sharp and decisive running became a factor for Detroit’s running game. He set a career high with 67 rushing yards against the Cowboys and then followed that up with 69 yards against Green Bay. He also scored three touchdowns in the last two weeks.
3. Near-perfect game against New Orleans
This game was about as good as it could get as Detroit took down New Orleans by a 28-13 score for their seventh win in eight games. The Lions defense stifled the Saints offense, and Matthew Stafford threw 341 yards and two touchdowns, going 30 for 42. The Lions also snapped a 60 game home touchdown streak for Drew Brees.
2. 8-1 against teams at or below .500
The Lions took care of business against teams that they had no excuse losing to. The Lions went 8-1 this year against teams with .500 or worse records. In order to make the playoffs in the NFL, it’s crucial to beat the teams you should beat, and Detroit did that this season.
1. Stafford leading the team to eight come from behind victories
The @Lions have 8 comeback wins after trailing in the 4th quarter, most in a single season in NFL history (via @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/zAPE5ITkNm
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 12, 2016
The Lions set the NFL record for comeback wins this season, overtaking the 2009 Indianapolis Colts, who had seven.
