Detroit Lions: 4 things to still look forward to this season

Week 16: Give the Broncos a proper thank you for Matt Prater

Since I was living in Colorado during the 2011, I witnessed firsthand all the ridiculousness that was Tebowmania. Lost in the shuffle of that season was the fact that Matt Prater was essentially a ghostwriter for the Tebow legend.

In perhaps the most memorable three game stretch of the Broncos’ 2011 season, Prater had an incredibly rare string of clutch performances. He kicked both the game-tying and game-winning field goals in the final two minutes of all three games. He also went three for three in Denver’s playoff upset over the Steelers.

In 2013, Prater made the Pro Bowl and kicked an NFL record 64 yard field goal at Mile High, but was cut from the team less than a year later due to substance abuse concerns. Fresh off Jason Hanson’s retirement and with a kicking crisis of their own, the Lions snatched Prater off waivers midway through the 2014 season.

Prater has become a legend in his own right during his six seasons as a Lion, with a dozen or so game winning kicks wearing Honolulu Blue (getting the Vikings twice within a few weeks in 2016 remains my favorite). Now returning to Denver for the first and probably only time as an opposing player, maybe Prater has another piece of right leg magic in store up in the Mile High altitude.