Dec 22, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) catches a pass during the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field. Falcons won 31-18. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Falcons 31, Detroit Lions 18 (box score)

The Detroit Lions had one last chance to change public sentiment of their 2012 season in front of a national audience on Saturday night but failed to show anything outside of the familiar trends that have led them to a 4-11 record.

The Atlanta Falcons raced out to a 21-3 lead behind a strong start from quarterback Matt Ryan. He found Roddy White for a 44 yard touchdown pass on a 3rd-and-1 play that seemed to signal that we were in for more of the same from the Detroit Lions. Ryan added another touchdown pass to White and finished the half by finding Julio Jones for a toe-tapping score.

It wasn’t that the Lions couldn’t move the ball. Mikel Leshoure fumbled the ball inside Falcons territory, and the Lions ended two other drives with field goals under 40 yards rather than cashing in for touchdowns.

In typical Lions fashion, they tried to make a game of it in the second half. Leshoure plunged in from one yard out to bring the Lions within 21-13. The defense did their job to hold the Falcons and the Lions offense was on the move again only to have the drive stall at the three yard line. Rather than going for it on fourth down, the Lions opted to kick the field goal and rely on their defense. That play ultimate led to their demise as the Falcons marched down the field and ended their drive with the crucial touchdown the Lions couldn’t seem to get.

The game may not have been in doubt as many fans started to make for the exits, but Calvin Johnson‘s big game had him within striking distance of Jerry Rice‘s single season receiving record of 1,848 yards. Needing 182 yards coming into the game, Johnson caught 11 balls for 225 yards and now stands as the NFL record holder for receiving yards in a season.

The Lions close out their disappointing 2012 season with a home game against the Chicago Bears on December 30. All that remains to be determined is just where Calvin Johnson’s final record-breaking receiving yards total will sit as he seeks to become the first to record 2,000 receiving yards in a season.

Sep 30, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; A general view of fans outside Ford Field before the game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions
Ford Field – Detroit, MI
Game Time: 8:20 PM ET
TV: ESPN (Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden)
Radio: WXYT-FM 97.1 in Detroit (click here for affiliates)
Favorite: Falcons by 3.5

Injury Report

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Photo: EA Sports

Not many expect the Detroit Lions, losers of six-straight games, to defeat the Atlanta Falcons tonight. The sports books list the Falcons as four point favorites while only Adam Schefter was brave enough to pick the Lions while the rest of the ESPN panel of experts went with the Falcons.

That’s what man has to say, but what about machine? ESPN published their weekly Madden 13 video game simulation and the result doesn’t come back with good results for the Lions with the Falcons winning 26-17.

The virtual recap reads like this:

When Matt Ryan hits Julio Jones on a 35-yard bomb in the second quarter, it’s 10-0 Falcons, and Detroit plays catch-up to no avail for the remainder of the game. Ryan finishes with 267 yards passing, including two touchdowns, as the Falcons look to finish strong these last two weeks and prove to all the naysayers that they can contend for the title once January rolls around.

The simulation stats produced just 63 receiving yards for Calvin Johnson. That would leave him 119 yards short of Jerry Rice’s single-season receiving yards record.

So, does the simulation seems realistic? Perhaps although everyone should expect Megatron to come away with more than 63 receiving yards. The simulation’s result might be an accurate representation of each team overall but it can’t account for a game’s intangibles like Johnson’s chase of Rice’s record.