The Detroit Lions rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, 28-24. Detroit reclaimed the lead on a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Titus Young with just 20 seconds remaining, and that would prove to be the decisive score.
One reason why the Lions were in position to win the game was their success on third downs. As SB Nation's Pride Of Detroit pointed out following the game, the Lions were able to convert third downs at a high rate, which helped considerably:
On Sunday, their opening drive of the game ended with a punt, but the Lions did at least convert on their initial third down. This set the tone that three-and-outs wouldn't be common, and they weren't. The Lions ended up going an amazing 12-of-16 on third downs, and this had a lot to do with them winning the game.
Thanks in part to their third down efficiency, the Lions held the ball for 34:43. Stafford finished the day 34-49 for 352 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also scored on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Detroit had 415 yards of total offense on the day and it also finished +1 in turnover margin.
The Lions travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars next weekend.