In the realm of the NFL, it is not uncommon to see a once struggling team finally have a good season. Remember the Miami Dolphins of 2008? They went 11-5 after a dismal 1-15 season, which capped off a decade of mediocrity. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in a similar boat last season, when they posted a 10-6 record after managing just three wins a year earlier. Similar things were said by analysts and fans alike about these two teams. People credited their front offices and coaches for building up an abundance of young talent and winning with that talent. Right now, the Detroit Lions sit in a similar situation.

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Part two of the final Detroit Lions game ball of the regular season features Matthew Stafford. Like Calvin Johnson, Stafford has been on a roll as of late, and he put up some monster numbers on Sunday in Green Bay. This is why, for the third week in a row, Stafford is a recipient of a Lions game ball.

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The final game ball of the regular season is once again a two-part post. This is because, once again, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson both played well enough to be deserving of a game ball. This week we will start with Johnson.

Johnson was seemingly able to get open on every other play despite, you know, being considered the best receiver in the game. Stafford went to him quite a bit, and by day's end at Lambeau Field, Johnson had 11 catches for 244 yards and one touchdown. That was good for an average of 22.2 yards per catch. As pointed out by Elfuego51 in the comments, Johnson had more receiving yards in this game alone than 17 teams had passing yards in Week 17. That is flat out ridiculous.

On the season, Johnson finished first in the NFL in receiving yards with 1,681. He had 96 catches and 16 touchdowns. He averaged one touchdown and 105 yards a game. Not too shabby.

Matthew Stafford has been on a tear lately, and for the second week in a row he is a recipient of a Detroit Lions game ball. He is receiving a game ball this week for his lights out performance last Saturday against the San Diego Chargers. In the most important game of the season, Stafford had one of his best performances ever and led the Lions to a 38-10 victory.

On Saturday, Stafford was 29-of-36. He threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns, and he didn't turn the ball over once. He completed passes to seven different receivers during the course of the game and put up monster numbers yet again.

Over the course of the Lions' current three-game winning streak, Stafford's numbers are as follows: 991 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. If he can continue playing at this high of a level going forward, the Lions should be able to beat anybody. He is looking like an elite quarterback, and his numbers as of late certainly back up the notion that he is one.

Just because Matthew Stafford received the first Detroit Lions game ball of the week doesn't mean he got the only one. I said yesterday that two would be handed out for the win over the Oakland Raiders, and I'm sure it surprises nobody that Calvin Johnson is the recipient of the other game ball.

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Despite putting up huge numbers this season, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has received his fair share of criticism for being inconsistent at times. On one drive he'll be lights out, but then on another he'll make head-scratching mistakes. I suppose that is to be expected considering Stafford has only played in 27 games in his career. He is still learning, but you can see that he is on the track for greatness.

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This series took a couple of weeks off due to the Detroit Lions losing a couple of games and nobody really standing out as being deserving of a game ball. It is back after Sunday's game since several players performed well enough to be in the running for a game ball. Most of them are on defense, and ultimately I decided to give this week's game ball to cornerback Alphonso Smith.

Smith has had an up and down season. He broke his foot before training camp and fell down the depth chart as a result. He had a tough time seeing much playing time and couldn't crack the rotation in the secondary until injuries started piling up.

In Week 14, with Brandon McDonald being released and Chris Houston out again with an injury, Smith got a chance to play quite a bit and didn't disappoint. Much like last season, when he had five interceptions in 12 games, Smith made some big plays on Sunday. He picked off a pass in the first quarter to set up the Lions' second touchdown of the game, and in the second quarter he jumped a route and had a pick-six. He broke out the "Thriller" dance after the touchdown and gave Lions fans a reason to celebrate.

I expect Smith to be an important player in the Lions secondary going forward, especially if guys like Houston, Aaron Berry and Eric Wright are still dealing with injuries.

If you would have told me a few weeks ago that one of the games balls I would give out this season would go to Kevin Smith, I would have laughed. Just a few weeks ago, Smith was sitting at home without a team and without any inclination that he would soon be signed. Then, during the Lions' bye week, he was brought in for a workout and Martin Mayhew and company decided to sign him in hopes of providing a spark to the running game.

On Sunday, the spark Smith provided was quite large, to say the least. He didn't just play outstanding, he played out of his mind, especially considering this was only his second game back. Smith rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and also had four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. His 201 total yards and three touchdowns propelled the Lions to their comeback victory, and his performance gives them hope going forward that they will have a consistent option to go to at running back.

Smith's performance makes for an amazing story considering all of the injuries he's had to deal with and considering he was out of the NFL just a few weeks ago. It makes what he did on Sunday all the more impressive, and you have to feel good for him after what he went through the past couple of years.