Lions Hold Off Late Rally To Beat Saints

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.

But New Orleans' loss guaranteed consecutive losing seasons for the first time since Sean Payton became coach in 2006.

Brees injured his right foot in the second quarter but never missed a snap. He said he would have an MRI on Tuesday.

"I don't know what exactly we've got going on here," Brees said of his injury. "It was getting stiff, but we were able to manage."

The Lions' last-ranked running game accounted for 150 yards and two TDs against New Orleans' last-ranked run defense, with Ameer Abdullah and Joique Bell each scoring a TD and rushing for more than 70 yards.

Not one of Stafford's touchdown strikes went for more than 5 yards, but he was poised, accurate and did not turn the ball over.

Thursday, December 24 Schedule (Time Central)

San Diego at Oakland, 7:25 p.m.

Saturday, December 26 Schedule (Time Central)

Washington at Philadelphia, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, December 27 Schedule (All Times Central)

New England at New York, noon

Houston at Tennessee, noon

Cleveland at Kansas City, noon

Indianapolis at Miami, noon

San Francisco at Detroit, noon

Dallas at Buffalo, noon

Chicago at Tampa Bay, noon

Carolina at Atlanta, noon

Pittsburgh at Baltimore, noon

Jacksonville at New Orleans, 3:05 p.m.

St. Louis at Seattle, 3:25 p.m.

Green Bay at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

New York at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, December 28 Schedule (Time Central)

Cincinnati at Denver, 7:30 p.m.