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 The Lions (5-9) held the Saints without points on five cracks inside
the 5-yard line at the end of the first half and built a 28-3 lead
early in the second, though they allowed the Saints (5-9) to score
17 consecutive points to close to 28-20.
Detroit then iced the game with a 76-yard drive that ended with a
1-yard scoring run by Joique Bell with 5:24 left.
Drew Brees' 1-yard pass to tight end Benjamin Watson made it 35-27
with 1:55 remaining, but Detroit's Calvin Johnson recovered the
onside kick. Abdullah ripped off a 36-yard run to the New Orleans 9
and the Lions killed most of the clock, but kicker Matt Prater
missed a 35-yard chip shot with nine seconds left.
Detroit led 21-3 at halftime and then scored on the first series of
the second half on running back Ameer Abdullah's 15-yard run around
left end to cap a six-play, 78-yard drive.
The Saints responded with 17 points over the next 9:57 on a 27-yard
touchdown pass from Brees to Brandin Cooks, a 22-yard field goal by
Kai Forbath, and an 11-yard Brees strike to Marques Colston, cutting
the deficit to 28-20 with 10:06 left.
Colston's score was set up by Abdullah's fumble, which linebacker
Hau'oli Kikaha forced and recovered at the Detroit 38.
But the Lions put the game away on Bell's 1-yard run with 5:24 left,
making it 35-20. Abdullah made the big play on the drive, converting
a third-and-1 with a 21-yard run on a quick pitch around right end
to the New Orleans 24.
Stafford shredded the Saints' porous secondary in the first half,
completing 12 of 13 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns as
Detroit raced to a 21-3 halftime lead.
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Each of Stafford's scoring passes was a short toss - one and five
yards to wide receiver Golden Tate and four yards to fullback
Michael Burton.
The Lions' defense also thwarted a late first-half drive by New
Orleans, Brees connected with Cooks for an apparent 29-yard
touchdown, but Cooks was ruled down at the Detroit 1. The Lions then
held the Saints without a score on five consecutive downs inside the
Detroit five yard line.
Another apparent New Orleans touchdown by running back Tim Hightower
was waved off because tackle Senio Kelemete, inserted for extra
goal-line blocking, failed to report as an eligible receiver.
On the final play of the half, Brees connected with wide receiver
Colston in the end zone, but guard Jahri Evans was flagged for being
downfield illegally, and with no time left on the clock, the half
ended.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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