Detroit -- It is the way you win games, build confidence and keep seasons from disappearing down the storm drain in a flood of losses.
Your franchise quarterback returns to give your team the spark it has been missing, then delivers in the clutch.
All the big plays made by Ndamukong Suh and the rest of the Lions' defense counted in Sunday's 37-25 victory over the Washington. They piled up on Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb like rubble from a demolition project.
So did Calvin Johnson's catches, and key runs by Kevin Smith when coach Jim Schwartz turned to him in the fourth quarter.
But Matthew Stafford is the trigger man on the franchise, and he was the difference Sunday.
The "Arm-Chise" returned from a five-game absence and led the Lions to what could be a season-launching victory. Stafford's vibe could be felt by his teammates.
"He had a big smile on his face every time he got in the huddle," said wide receiver Nate Burleson.
It was more than show. Stafford backed it up with an inspiring performance that was more than the Lions could have hoped for -- because it turned hope into the possibility that they have started some kind of run.
If you check the standings today, you'll see that the Lions and Vikings both have 2-5 records. And the Vikings' starting quarterback, Brett Favre, limped into Sunday's game with the Patriots with a bad ankle and a mangled ego. And he was carted off late in the loss after taking a KO shot to the chin.
Maybe there is possibility where hope exists for the Lions.
Coming off a bye, with an extra week to heal some injuries -- including Stafford's -- the Lions couldn't afford to stumble on the first step in the last 10 games. They needed to put a win in the standings, not another moral victory.
"We treated it like that, and we got a win," Stafford said. "So it was great."
If he wasn't great, Stafford was close enough.
He threw four touchdown passes. Three went to Calvin Johnson, including a 10-yard shot squeezed between two defenders on a fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter for a lead the Lions never surrendered.
Stafford followed up the pass to Calvin Johnson with a pass to Bryant Johnson for a two-point conversion, all with 3:12 left to highlight a 23-12 run in the fourth quarter to beat a quality opponent.
The Lions, including the defense, did some piling on of their own the rest of the way. A field goal by Jason Hanson and Suh's run with a fumble recovery caused by Kyle Vanden Bosch's sack of Redskins quarterback McNabb widened the lead and sealed the victory.
But make no mistake about this. Stafford was under the gun to perform. Shaun Hill was more than adequate in his five starts since Stafford went out with a shoulder injury in the first half of the opening-game loss at Chicago.
Any rust or sluggishness by Stafford in his first game back would have been understandable, but not acceptable, given the Lions' desperate position.
Stafford needed to come out winging. And he did, with a little bit of rust at the beginning that he flicked away with the ease of your windshield wipers knocking off the first hit of morning frost.
Stafford suffered an early interception, on a throw meant for Calvin Johnson in the end zone. After that, he shredded the Redskins with four touchdown passes without an interception.
"It was great," Stafford said. "I felt like I started out a little slow. I kind of expected that a little bit. You don't hope it happens, but if it does you understand it."
Stafford's first-half numbers were less than ordinary -- eight completions out of 18 attempts, 72 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
The second half was like flipping an old record -- from "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?" on one side to "Welcome to the Jungle."
Stafford rocked in the second half, and so did the rest of the team -- especially the defense, where the hits kept on coming.
Stafford hit on 18 of 27 passes for 140 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions after the intermission. His passer rating for the first half was 51.2. It soared to 116.2 for the second half, and 90.2 for the game.
Calvin Johnson and Burleson were his primary targets. Johnson caught nine passes for 101 yards and the three scores. Burleson had seven catches for 47 yards. Tight end Brandon Pettigrew wasn't featured as often as in recent games, but he had a TD catch among his two receptions.
Stafford had been subdued since the shoulder injury put him out of commission. In fact, sometimes he seemed downright grumpy.
He admitted Sunday how much he missed playing.
"It was tough for a while, being out," he said. "There's nothing like playing on Sunday.
"I love playing."
Oct. 31, 2010
