Sep 17, 2007, 0:02 GMT
Detroit, MI - Jason Hanson's 37-yard field goal in overtime gave the Detroit Lions a 20-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings in a sloppy game at Ford Field.
Minnesota started the overtime session with the ball, but Brooks Bollinger, who took over for Tarvaris Jackson, fumbled the ball at midfield and Shaun Rogers recovered the ball for Detroit.
Jon Kitna, who went out in the second quarter after being shaken up on a hit and returned late in the fourth quarter, took over and drove Detroit into scoring position practically by himself.
On the first play, Kitna attempted a pass that was deflected, but the ball came right back to him and he gained nine yards before getting knocked down on a big hit. Then on third-and-two, he dropped back to pass but kept the ball himself on a six-yard scramble for a first down. Brian Calhoun then got Detroit into field position on a 17-yard run around the right end and Hanson booted the ball through the uprights for the win with 8:55 left in overtime.
'I've seen a lot in this league but that was special,' said Lions coach Rod Marinelli about Kitna. 'What he did was special. You saw toughness. This is a tough town and their football team has a leader that's tough.'
Kitna finished the game 22-of-33 for 245 yards with one touchdown and an interception while Roy Williams had seven catches for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Lions (2-0), who snapped a 10-game losing streak to Minnesota.
'This game will get us some attention but we have our work cut out for the next week,' said Marinelli. 'We've got a lot of things to clean up.'
J.T. O'Sullivan, who played while Kitna sat out, went 13-for-23 for 148 yards with a touchdown and an interception while rookie Calvin Johnson finished with four catches for 61 yards and a score for Detroit, which has won its first two games for the first time since the 2004 season.
Jackson was 17-for-33 for 166 yards and four interceptions and also had a rushing touchdown and left after the first play of overtime with a groin injury while rookie Adrian Peterson finished the game with 66 yards on the ground on 20 attempts and 52 yards receiving on four catches for the Vikings (1-1), who opened their season with a 24-3 win over Atlanta.
'We had an opportunity to win the game at the end and obviously we didn't take advantage of that,' said Vikings coach Brad Childress. 'I was interested to see a road game with a young quarterback and a road game with a young running back. and I was looking for some consistency from game one and game two. Unfortunately we took a step back with the 12 penalties we had.'
The game had a total of 10 turnovers, five from each team, and 19 penalties, 12 from Minnesota.
Jackson was picked off for the second time in the game in the second quarter as he lofted a pass down the left sideline that Keith Smith came down with and returned the ball to midfield.
The Lions took advantage of the turnover. Six plays later, Kitna found Williams in the end zone from nine yards out for a 7-0 lead with 11:09 left in the second.
However, the Vikings answered with their ensuing possession. On third-and- eight at the Detroit 41, Jackson connected with Robert Ferguson on a 10-yard play. It appeared that the ball hit the ground before Ferguson caught it, but Jackson ran up to the line and spiked the ball before Detroit could challenge the play. Peterson then set up a first-and-goal as he took a pass in the flat, knocked Gerald Alexander on the ground and was just held out of the end zone on a 24-yard play. Jackson then ran the ball in on the next down to tie the game.
After exchanging punts, the Lions took the lead with O'Sullivan under center. On the first play of the drive, O'Sullivan lofted a pass across the middle that Williams caught in double coverage on a 42-yard play to get the ball to the Minnesota 25. However, the drive stalled and the team had to settle for a 30-yard field goal from Hanson for a 10-7 lead, which was the score heading into the locker room.
Detroit started the second half with the ball, but O'Sullivan was picked off by Darren Sharper to give Minnesota the ball at its own 30.
However, Jackson immediately gave the ball back to Detroit on the next play that Alexander picked off and returned to the Minnesota 31-yard line.
The Lions made the Vikings pay for the turnover. On a 3rd-and-22 play, Spencer Johnson was called for roughing the passer as he slammed O'Sullivan into the turf. Five plays later, O'Sullivan threw a pass to the left side of the end zone that Johnson leaped up and caught for a seven-yard score and a 17-7 lead just less than five minutes into the third.
Aundrae Allison gave the Vikings excellent field position on the ensuing kickoff as he returned the ball 60 yards to the Detroit 41. A 15-yard facemask penalty on Boss Bailey kept the drive alive, but it stalled at the Detroit 14 and a 32-yard field goal from Ryan Longwell made it a 17-10 game.
On Detroit's next possession, the Vikings defense tied the game when Kevin Williams got to O'Sullivan, causing the quarterback to fumble the ball, and Ray Edwards took the ball nine yards into the end zone to tie the contest.
Both teams had opportunities to win late. Hanson lined up for a 48-yard attempt with 50 seconds left that he missed wide left and Longwell lined up for a 52-yard attempt with seven ticks remaining, but he hit the left upright and the game went to overtime.
Game Notes
Lions tight end Dan Campbell left the game in the second quarter with an elbow injury...Detroit has had at least one turnover in 21 straight games...The missed field goal was the first in 19 attempts for Hanson...It was Roy Williams' 11th game with over 100 yards receiving...Sharper had two interceptions in the game...Detroit's Shaun Cody had the first interception of his career in the first quarter...Jackson's four interceptions tied a team record.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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