The Lions snapped a 19-game losing streak yesterday against the Redskins.  They did it with a ball hogging offense that protected the defense.  The Lions had possession of the football for 36:48 in this game.  The Lions had a 19-7 lead in the 4th quarter but then they had to hold on for dear life to hold off the Redskins.  Matt Stafford had the best game of his NFL career completing 21 of 36 passes for 241 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Kevin Smith did his part before leaving the game with a injury as he carried the ball 16 times for 101 yards (6.3 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 18 yards.  The Redskins were all over Calvin Johnson who caught 5 passes for 49 yards (9.8 avg).  With that in mind Stafford turned to Bryant Johnson when he needed a big play.  He finished up with 4 catches for 73 yards (18.3 avg) with a TD.  The Lions finished up with a surprising 381 total yards of offense (154 rushing, 227 passing) in this game.

The defense was in a bend but don’t break mode.  LB Larry Foote led the way for the Lions’ D with 9 tackles in this game.  Still, the Redskins rolled up 390 total yards (65 rushing, 325 passing) in this game despite only having the ball for 23:12!  The Lions are now 1-2 on the season.