Matthew Stafford’s Top 5 Game Winning Drives

Dallas Cowboys 30 @ Detroit Lions 31

2013

It is not often in the NFL that you get a second chance at victory. Down 27-24 with 2 minutes remaining, the Lions turn the ball over on downs on their own 33 yard line. The Cowboys force the Lions to use all their timeouts as Dan Bailey nets a 44 yard field goal to push the lead to six.

With a minute remaining, the Lions waste no time as a 2nd down strike to Calvin Johnson goes for 17 yards over the middle. If that play wasn’t enough, the next throw will blow your mind.

Lined up in a 5 wide set, Stafford receives the snap as instant interior pressure from the defensive end flushes Stafford to the right hash. Stafford sets his feet and throws a 40 yard bomb down to the left sideline to his old college roommate Kris Durham , fitting the ball perfectly in between three defenders as Durham secures the catch and is knocked out of bounds.

The very next play, Stafford fits yet another perfect ball in between two defenders finding Calvin Johnson on a seam route to the one yard line. With under 20 seconds on the clock, Stafford is now screaming at the Lions offense to get to the line of scrimmage. Signaling to the entire world that the Lions will spike the ball to stop the clock, both teams line of quickly expecting the spike. Stafford had other plans.

Stafford spikes the football and instead of spiking, he jumps over the line and extends the ball for a touchdown. The Dallas Cowboys defense, expecting spike as well, is literally standing still as Stafford ties the game with ease. A heads up play followed by a David Akers field goal caps off a 24 point fourth quarter and a Lions victory.