Getty Darius Slay with the Eagles in camp.
The Detroit Lions roared back late for a huge win against the Atlanta Falcons and plenty of folks were paying attention, not the least of whom were former members of the team.
After Matthew Stafford hit T.J. Hockenson with a pass in the end zone with time expired and Matt Prater drilled the subsequent extra point, everyone exploded. A pair of players who were with the team in 2019 also took note in cornerback Darius Slay and defensive tackle Damon Harrison.
First, Slay reacted to the play by saying good catch to Hockenson.
After the comeback played out, Harrison also tweeted his appreciation for Matthew Stafford making the play, saying he has ice in his veins.
Staff!!!!! Ice in his veins!
With both players watching the action play out, they were just as fired up as several Lions fans in the moment which was cool to see.
No Surprise Former Lions Cheering Team
It’s not surprising to see Slay and Harrison still cheering on their former teammates. Despite the fact that both left the team this offseason under tough circumstances, they still have some deep ties with everyone on the roster. Slay and Harrison were also well liked within the team’s community of fans, meaning it will be popular to see them reacting in real time and cheering on their former mates on the field.
All told, it’s nice to see the camaraderie on both sides.
Watch Detroit’s Exciting Victory
With time running down and a 16-14 deficit in the game, Atlanta made the critical error of scoring when they could have run out the clock and simply kicked a field goal to win. The play ended up costing them dearly, as the Lions moved down the field surgically, hitting a few big plays to Kenny Golladay. With 2 seconds left, Matthew Stafford scrambled and hit T.J. Hockenson for the last second tie score at the goal line.
Here’s the play:
#NationalTightEndsDay for the WIN‼️
That play wasn’t the end of the game, though. Detroit had merely tied the game and needed to hit a 48 yard extra point to guarantee victory. The Lions pulled it off, with Matt Prater redeeming himself after a missed field goal earlier in the game from nearly the same distance. A 23-22 win.
It was a huge play which saved Detroit’s season and prolonged their mid-season run toward potential playoff relevancy, something many folks think could be coming in the weeks ahead if the Lions manage to catch fire.
Typically, this was the kind of game the Lions have made a habit of losing historically, but the fact the Lions managed to turn it around for a win has to be a huge shot of confidence for them moving forward. At 3-3, the Lions are back relevant in the NFC playoff hunt, and it’s the huge kind of game that can transform a season and catapult a team that was on the brink of collapse just a few weeks ago.
There’s teams every season that make a charge in the second half after some close wins, and the Lions could be shaping up to be one of those teams if this win can mean anything in the long term.
It will be interesting to see if more former players remain on the bandwagon in the weeks ahead.