The Detroit Lions are boasting a record of 8-4, good enough to be on top of the NFC North division. What’s even more exciting, is how they have been winning.
Seven of the Lion’s eight wins have come with them trailing to start the fourth quarter. This means that these seven games have come down to a game-winning touchdown, drive, or a field goal. The keys to these wins can be most accredited to Lions QB Matthew Stafford, and K (Kicker) Matt Prater, and CB (Cornerback) Darius Slay.
Matt Stafford is considered to be a clutch Quarterback this year because of the yardage he’s able to gain in the fourth quarter. In fact, Mathew Stafford’s quarterback rating is an astonishing 98.0 in the last two minutes of play in the fourth quarter, which is good enough to be best in the league. This yardage is important because it set up for the Lion’s game-winning touchdowns or field goals. Stafford has said his team has worked heavily on clock management to prepare for situations exactly like that. It is very evident that Stafford thrives in situations where he needs to be clutch at the end of a game. He has even said he’d prefer “to have the ball in his hands down by three in the fourth quarter rather than be up by 7 and watching the defense from the sidelines.”
While Stafford is developing a reputation for seeming to have ice water in his veins, the same can be said for Lion’s Placekicker Matt Prater. Perhaps one of the most underrated stats in all of these victories, is the fact that Prater has made every single game tying or game winning field goal the coaching staff has entrusted him with. Prater even said, “I expect to make it every time.”
Darius Slay, Detroit’s starting CB, has also played a key role in a few of the clutch victories the Lions have had. In the rare occasion where the Lions need a stop on defense to prevent the other team’s offense from scoring, Slay has delivered big. Take the thanksgiving day game for example, the Lions needed a big play in order to stay in the game on defense, and Slay delivered big with an interception that set up the game winning kick from Prater. The Detroit corner has shown impressive ball awareness, coming up big with several huge interceptions to bury the opposing team. The nickname “Big Play Slay” has seemed to take off overnight, and is backed up by Slay’s performance this season.
The Detroit Lions success at first was seen as pure luck, although winning seven games out of eight total wins in the exact same fashion is nothing short of incredible clock management skills. At this rate, this Lions team is well on their way to a playoff spot, and perhaps even more than that
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