Matthew Stafford Is 'Never Going to Apologize' for Winning
A win is a win, no matter how ugly the performance looks or how one side of the football performs.
Certainly, the Detroit Lions will have plenty to clean up and correct, following their 30-27 win against the Washington Football Team.
After getting out to a 24-3 lead early in the third quarter, Detroit's defense surrendered three consecutive touchdowns to an offense not particularly known for lighting up the scoreboard.
Luckily for Detroit, Matthew Stafford and the offense are familiar with late-game heroics.
With just 16 seconds to work with and with the aid of a roughing-the-passer penalty, Stafford & Co. marched down the field to give Matt Prater an opportunity to kick the game-winning field goal.
“No, I mean, every game we win, we’ve got to clean stuff up," Stafford explained in his postgame media session. "This one is no different. There are definitely some things we can do better, and it’ll help stretch the lead. But, I’m just proud of our guys for fighting. A win is a win. It’s tough to win in this league. I’m never going to apologize for one. Could we play better? Yeah. But, we did a nice job not turning the ball over, defense did a nice job getting some stops (and) our special teams was nails as it always is. So, that was great.”
Stafford ties Joe Montana with 273 career touchdown passes
With approximately eight minutes remaining in the third quarter and leading 17-3, Stafford found rookie D'Andre Swift for a 15-yard touchdown that extended Detroit's lead to 24-3.
With that touchdown, Stafford tied Joe Montana for the 17th-most passing touchdowns (273) in NFL history.
When asked about the milestone, Stafford expressed that he will look at his career accolades when his career is finished.
Stafford explained, “It’s obviously great. I’m just happy we got a win. If I had done that and we lost, it doesn’t matter. I just want to win games, and I will look at all of that stuff at the end of it."
More from SI All Lions:
Lions Blow Another Lead, Hang on to Defeat Washington, 30-27
Matt Prater's Late-Game Heroics Salvages Season, for Now
Biggest Matchup to Watch: Decker vs. Sweat
3 Lions that Must Shine to Win against Washington Football Team
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