Game 103. Green Bay at Detroit
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Tag Archives: Detroit Lions
Game 96. Detroit at Seattle
Game 76. Detroit at Washington
Game 59. New England at Detroit
Game 50. Detroit at Green Bay
1997 Game 181 (Week 14) Chicago at Detroit
Lions’ offensive explodes on Turkey Day!
The #1 offense in the NFL didn’t disappoint in the first game of Thanksgiving as the Detroit Lions defeated the Chicago Bears, 35-14. The Lions racked up 472 total yards and got outstanding games from their own version of the Triplets.
RB Barry Sanders continued his historic pace as he rushed for 150 yards on the day on 22 carries and two touchdowns. On the season, Sanders has rushed for 1827 yards on the season. If he keeps his current pace, he will rush for 2,249 yards, which would smash the single-season rushing record currently held by Eric Dickerson in 1984. The first player to rush for 2,000 yards was OJ Simpson in 1973, when he rushed for 2003 yards in 14 games. Sanders needs 177 yards in his next game to break Simpson’s mark.
QB Scott Mitchell is having the best season of his career too. Mitchell threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears. With the opponent defenses concentrating on Sanders, Mitchell and the passing game has been on fire. Mitchell has thrown for 3,286 yards on a 59% completion percentage with 24 TDs and only 4 INTs. He has a 100 quarterback rating which is only behind Steve Young in the NFC.
WR Herman Moore had a sensational game as well on Turkey Day. He caught 7 passes for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns. On the season, Moore has 86 receptions for 1,193 yards and 11 TDs. His counterpart, Johnnie Morton has 85 catches for 1,291 yards and 8 TDs.
On the defensive side, the Lions are getting a great season from DE Robert Porcher. He had 1.5 sacks on Thursday and now is tops in the NFL with 17 sacks on the season.
The Lions are now 10-3. They sit behind the Packers in the Central standings and are the #4 seed right now in the NFC playoffs. Next week, they travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins. As for the Bears, their dismal season continues as they fell to 1-12. They will host the Bills next Sunday.
Game 34. Minnesota at Detroit
Game 16. Atlanta at Detroit
1997 Game 169 (Week 13) Indianapolis at Detroit
The Lions roll the Colts
Barry Sanders and the Detroit Lions are among the league’s elite in 1997. Sanders is on pace to shatter the single season rushing record, and quietly, Scott Mitchell is having the best season of his career. As a result, the Lions are now 9-3 with a 29-6 thumping of the Indianapolis Colts in the Silverdome on Sunday.
Barry Sanders has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in 11 of the 12 games this season, but he needed his last carry of the day to reach that mark on Sunday. Sanders finished with 104 yards on 20 carries in the game. On the season, Sanders has rushed for 1,677 yards in 12 games, which equates to 139.8 yards per game. If he stays on this pace, he will rush for over 2,236 yards and crush the single season rushing record that Eric Dickerson of the Rams set in 1984 with 2,105.
QB Scott Mitchell, directing the #1 offense in the NFL, threw for 268 yards in this game on 17 of 33 passing with 2 TD passes and no interceptions. On the season, Mitchell has his career-high in passer rating with 98.3, which is better than reigning MVP Brett Favre. Mitchell also has 21 TD passes with only 4 interceptions on the season.
Mitchell has had two great targets to throw the football to. Beings most teams load up against Barry and the run, Mitchell has virtually had one-on-one coverage against WRs Herman Moore and Johnny Morton. On Sunday, Moore caught six passes for 116 yards and a TD, while Morton caught six passes for 131 yards and a TD. On the season, both receivers have 79 catches and 8 TDs on the season. Morton has 1,219 yards and Moore has 1,001 yards.
As for the Lions defense, they pummeled Colt QBs all day long. They knocked Paul Justin out of the game and then sacked Jim Harbaugh 6 times. Cornerback Kevin Abrams had a career-day as he picked up two Paul Justin passes and returned one of them 12 yards for a TD.
Next week, the Lions will host the lowly Bears on their annual Thanksgiving Day game, while the Colts, now 4-8, will travel to Boston to take on the New England Patriots.
