Detroit Lions: Top 5 Matt Prater moments in Motown

5. The touchdown pass at Lambeau Field (2018)

How often do you see a punter throw a touchdown pass? How often is a fellow kicker in the announcing booth to go crazy for it? How often do the Lions put together four quarters of dominance at Lambeau field? How often does a Lions defense pitch a shutout against anyone?

The answer: to all four of those questions: just about never, but by chance, all four of those things converged all at once on the final day of the 2018 regular season. Prater’s 2nd quarter touchdown on a fake field goal sent former punter Pat McAfee into near hysterics and set the tone for a feel-good afternoon as the Lions cruised to a 31-0 victory, their first shutout win in nearly 25 years.

The season sweep over Green Bay offered a fun exclamation point to an otherwise bland matchup, as the Lions (and Pack too) were well out of playoff contention by that point. Aaron Rodgers took a sack on one of the first possessions and called it an early day, so once the Lions opened up a lead, there wasn’t any of the nagging fear of yet another soul crushing comeback.

The first and most likely only touchdown pass of Matt Prater’s career didn’t come in a pressure-filled moment and was more than anything a novelty act to close off the year. Still, the rarity of plays like that in the NFL, as well as the overall positive vibes for the Lions at Lambeau that day (any win over the Pack is something to savor around here) gives it a special place in my memory.