NEW ORLEANS – For all the arm talent Matthew Stafford has displayed in his seven NFL seasons, it was his efficiency and decision-making that sparked the Detroit Lions to a big lead and helped prevent them from squandering it.
Stafford completed 22 of 25 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns, and the Lions held off a late surge by New Orleans to defeat the Saints 35-27 on Monday night.
“The guy was phenomenal. He was chasing perfection,” said Lions receiver Golden Tate, who caught two short touchdown passes. “We rallied around that.”
Detroit (5-9) raced to a 28-3 lead, but Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes – one shortly after a Lions fumble – to help New Orleans (5-9) pull to 28-20 with about 10 minutes left.
Brees passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the fourth quarterback to surpass 60,000 yards in a career while also eclipsing the 4,000-yard mark for the 10th straight season. Brandin Cooks made a career-high 10 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.