Atlanta Falcons (7-8) – Detroit Lions (2-12-1) : 20-16
The Falcons almost let this game slip away, but their defense caught up well. With Atlanta leading by 4 points with just over 2mn from the end, Russell Gage lost the ball in his part of the field, leaving one last opportunity for Detroit to win.
But Tim Boyle (24/34, 187 yards, 1 TD, 1 int), holder in place of Jared Goff on the COVID list, was unable to seize this windfall. On a first attempt 9 yards from the end zone, he launched the interception which sealed the fate of the match. The Lions bow logically, but they still had the merit of hanging on.
The score was 13-13 at the start of the last quarter when Matt Ryan (18/24, 215 yards, 1 TD) found Hayden Hurst for the touchdown (20-13). Detroit responded with an offense of more than 10 minutes, but only rewarded with a field goal. This is where Atlanta lost the ball. But the Lions did not know how to conclude.
The two losses of the ball at the end of the game were the only ones of the match. Before that, the two attacks were mostly ineffective, apart from a few flashes. In the second quarter, Cordarrelle Patterson found the end zone first, immediately followed by Amon-Ra St. Brown (9 rec, 91 yards, 1 TD). Enough to put the score at 10-10 at the break.
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