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Game Notes: Lions vs. Cardinals

Posted Dec 20, 2009

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  • Lions T Jeff Backus made his 142nd consecutive start in today’s game. He has the longest streak of consecutive starts among offensive linemen in the NFL and he is fifth among active players.
  • LB Larry Foote started for the 94th straight time. He is third among linebacker in consecutive starts.
  • K Jason Hanson has now appeared in 285 career games, the most in franchise history.
  • With the Cardinals leading 17-0 and driving deep into Lions territory, rookie S Louis Delmas picked off a QB Kurt Warner pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. The interception was Delmas’ second of the year, and it sparked a second-half comeback.
  • The 100-yard interception return is tied for the longest by a Lions’ rookie in team history (Vern Huffman 100t vs. Brooklyn 10/17/37). It is also tied for the third longest in team history and is the fourth 100-yard interception return ever by a Lions player.
  • Delmas became the first rookie in NFL history to register an interception return for a touchdown (100t vs. Arizona 12/20/09), safety (vs. Green Bay 11/26/09) and a fumble return for a touchdown (65t at New Orleans 9/13/09) in the same season. He is only the second player in NFL history to accomplish the feat (L.A. Rams LB Rod Martin in 1984).
  • His 100-yard interception return was the longest by a rookie since Cowboys S Mike Gaechter (100 yards) on vs. Philadelphia October 14, 1962.
  • Delmas ended the game with eight tackles (five solo) and one pass defense.
  • Lions RB Maurice Morris, who has filled in as the team’s backup for the first 13 games of the season, rushed for 126 yards on 17 attempts (7.4 avg) and scored one touchdown. He also led the team with five receptions for 35 yards. It was Morris’ fifth career 100-yard game and the second-most single-game total of his 8-year career.
  • With the Lions trailing 17-7 in the third quarter, he took the handoff on the first play of the Lions drive that started at 5:21 and raced 64 yards down the left sideline for the score. It was longest rush of his career, and the longest by a Lions rusher since RB Shawn Bryson 77-yard touchdown vs. Baltimore 10/5/2005.
  • On the 64-yard touchdown, among the key blocks occurred downfield around the 10-yard line when WR Calvin Johnson sealed the final Cardinals defender that allowed Morris to cross the goal line.
  • His 126 rushing yards were the most by a Lions’ back since RB Kevin Jones has 127 vs. Buffalo 10/15/06.
  • Morris’ 161 yards from scrimmage (126 rushing, 35 receiving) were the most since RB Kevin Jones has 163 10/15/06.
  • Rookie LB Zack Follett recovered a Cardinals muffed punt in the fourth quarter of today’s game. It was his first career fumble recovery.
  • The fumble recovery was the Lions eighth special teams takeaway since the beginning of the 2008 season, the most in the NFL.
  • QB Drew Stanton, who entered the game in the second half, led the Lions on two game-tying drives in the fourth quarter. The second was capped off by Stanton plunging in the endzone from 1 yard out for his first career rushing touchdown. The touchdown tied the game at 24-24 with 3:48 to play in the fourth quarter.
  • DE Cliff Avril and DE Jason Hunter each recorded sacks on the day. Avril’s sack was a sack-fumble late in the second quarter that gave the ball back to the Lions with :11 to play. The fumble was recovered by LB Julian Peterson (second of the season and 12th f his career). Avril now has 4.5 sacks on the season.
  • Hunter’s second quarter sack was his third sack of the year.

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