NFL Highlights: Lions Extend Thanksgiving Game Losing Streak to 7 Games in 7 Years With Loss To Pats
The first game on Turkey day was between the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions.
But not everyone had a great Thanksgiving dinner.
Sure, the Lions pushed the Patriots around in the first half like a shopping cart, but Tom Brady blasted them away, throwing four TD passes, a season high, and had a perfect QB rating of 158.3 for the second time in his career. He is the first QB to have
a perfect rating so far in the season.
The Pats won the game, 45-24, with a great- better yet, perfect- performance in the second half.
"We showed some resiliency, coming out in the second half and playing the way we did when the crowd was into it," Brady said.
Their victory put them at 9-2, along with the New York Jets who also played on Thanksgiving. They currently have the best record in the NFL, which makes next weeks’ Jets versus Patriots game all the more interesting.
"I don't think we're at where we need to be at," Brady said. "But this is a tough group."
After being shot down many times early on, Brady, a three time Super Bowl winner and two time MVP award recipient, came back to complete 21 of 27 passing attempts and no interceptions, not to mention four TDs in the second half.
"He's like a surgeon," Detroit center Dominic Raiola said.
Aside from Brady, Deion Branch was also a notable player, having made a 79 yard reception for a TD, followed by Wes Welker making another to seal the victory.
"When you outscore a team 35-7 in the second half, a lot of things have to go right," New England coach Bill Belichick said.
But the 2-9 Lions are used to things going badly for them, especially on their annual Thanksgiving game. They have lost seven straight Thanksgiving games by an average of about 23 points.
"This one is really tough because we gave everybody so much hope," Raiola said. "We were up 14-3, Ford Field was going crazy and then boom, boom, boom."
Brady’s first perfect game was in October of 2007, when he threw a career-high six TDs against Miami.
"If we give him time, there's nothing he can't do," guard Logan Mankins said. "He's going to find the guy that's open, and he's going to get them the ball. The rest is up to us."
But Brady does not deserve all of the credit. Branch and Welker were aerial support, while BenJarvus Green-Ellis led the ground troops.
Green-Ellis rushed for two TDs, his career high, including one at the end of the fourth with 3:14 left in the game, which led to a lot of frustration from the Lions.
Speaking of the Lions, QB Shaun Hill went 27 of 46 for 285 yards and one TD. The one TD pass to Calvin Johnson put the Lions up 7-3, a lead which they would shortly give up. Hill’s attempts also included rookie cornerback for the Pats Devin McCourty making
two interceptions, showing that he is not out of the running for Rookie Defensive Player of the Year.
"That was a big play by Devin that really swung the game," Belichick said.
Before the Pats bounced back, Maurice Morris also ran for two TDs, as many as he made in two seasons with the Lions, which put the Lions ahead 14-3 near the end of the first.
Detroit did come back halfway through the third, but their lead didn’t stand a chance against Brady and his prodigious Patriots.
The Pats get a well-deserved three day break before going back to Massachusetts for practice before their big game against the Jets on December 6.
The Lions have lost their last four games in a row and have 10 days to rest up and then practice before their next game against the Bears.
Stay tuned!
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