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Next up in the 2013 POD Awards is the category for the Detroit Lions' Game of the Year. Here are the nominees:
Lions 27, Redskins 20 (Week 3)
The Lions entered this game with a 21-game road losing streak against the Redskins and zero all-time wins against them in the D.C. area. That streak came to an end with a 27-20 victory that was made possible by a late fourth-down conversion that came just before a touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson.
The Lions went from trailing 10-6 at one point in the second quarter to leading 30-13 at halftime. They actually had a 40-16 lead at one point in the fourth quarter of this game, and the Lions made a big statement by handing the Bears their first loss of the season.
Down 27-24 with time running out, the Lions basically needed a miracle. They got one in the form of a holding penalty on the Cowboys, which was declined but stopped the clock. Dallas added a field goal to take a 6-point lead, and the Lions responded by going 80 yards in the final minute to win the game. Matthew Stafford scored the game-winning touchdown by sneaking in from a yard out after deciding to not spike the ball, and the Lions headed into their bye week on an extremely positive note.
The Lions also came out of their bye week on an extremely positive note with a big road win against the Bears in a battle for first place in the NFC North. A late Bears touchdown led by Josh McCown nearly sent this game into overtime, but Nick Fairley stuffed Matt Forte on Chicago's second 2-point conversion attempt (the first was no good, but a penalty gave the Bears another shot) to keep the Lions in the lead. After the Lions recovered an onside kick, the game was basically over, and Detroit improved to 6-3 on the season.
Lions 40, Packers 10 (Week 13)
In another battle for first place, the Lions shook off a slow start by scoring 37 straight points. They absolutely dominated Matt Flynn and the Packers en route to a 40-10 blowout that snapped their losing streak on Thanksgiving Day. This turned out to be the Lions' final win of the season.