The tight victory of Lions over Falcons

The Lions allowed the Falcons to score a touchdown. It was what they wanted. But Atlanta found another incredible way to lose.

Matthew Stafford hooked up with T.J. Hockenson for an 11-yard touchdown pass at the expiration of time. Also, Matt Prater got the extra 48 yards for Detroit to beat Atlanta Sunday, 23-22.

The Lions (3-3) won their second straight game – their first winning streak since the start of the 2019 season.

But this was a strange win.

Down 16-14, the Falcons (1-6) had the clock running down and a field goal insight when they got the first down in the Lions’ 10th and just over a minute.

Detroit had used up all their offensive breaks, so they were no longer in shape to stop the clock. They understood that their only chance was to allow a quick touchdown. The Lions did nothing to stop Todd Gurley after receiving from Matt Ryan.

Gurley advanced freely, realizing too late the Lions’ intentions. He wanted to jump in but ended up at the goal line with 1:04 to play.

The Falcons scored a two-point conversion to go 22-16, but the Lions still had a chance to come back from a team that had already become the first in NFL history to lose two games in a row after going ahead by at least 15 points in the last quarter.

Stafford advanced 75 yards in eight plays to get on the Falcons’ 11th. With two seconds in the red, Stafford finally connected with Hockenson.

Touchdown, Lions.

There was a little more drama missing. Detroit penalizes for unsportsmanlike conduct at the celebration, which forced them to charge the extra point from the 30-yard line, but Prater managed to convert.