But that time wasn’t Saturday.
“It’s been a long time coming and obviously it’s something we haven’t done as an organization for a long time,” said Lions coach Jim Schwartz after the Lions’ 38-10 victory over the Chargers clinched the team’s first playoff appearance since 1999.
“My kids have that little application to find where Santa is, he was at Ford Field (Saturday).
Santa just so happened to drop off a present Lions fans have been waiting 12 years for --- a playoff appearance.
In the biggest game in the history of Ford Field, the Lions came through with their best all-around performance of the season in a 38-10 victory.
“It might have been,” Schwartz said “From the very beginning our offense was playing well, our defense was playing well. They’re always going to make a couple plays in the game, but obviously we made more.”
The Ford Field crowd started serenading the Lions with chants of “playoffs” with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter and with the game no longer in doubt.
Saturday’s victory clinches at least the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs for the Lions but they can still get as high as No. 5 depending on how the Falcons and Lions finish the year.
The Falcons hold the tie-breaker if the teams finish with the same record.
It’s no coincidence that the playoffs coincide with the first healthy season of quarterback
Stafford had one of the finest games of his young career Saturday, completing 29-of-36 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns. His quarterback rating was a 137.6.
“He was our first No. 1 draft pick when Jim Schwartz came in and you need a great quarterback to win in this league and we got a great one,” said Lions center
Stafford broke Scott Mitchell’s franchise record for passing yards in a season (4,338) on a 30-yard pass to receiver
He completed touchdown passes to
The 14-yarder to Johnson in the second quarter was his 15th receiving touchdown of the season, which ties the franchise's single-season record set by Cloyce Box in 1952.
On defense, the Lions were dominating.
“This is a team that was averaging close to 37 points a game over the last three and given up I think 10 or 12,” Schwartz said. “We flipped that today.”
The Lions raced out to 24-0 halftime lead but things got interesting in the third quarter when the Chargers scored their first points of the game on a 11-yard touchdown pass from Phillip Rivers to Malcom Floyd and then recovered an onside kick right after.
The Lions defense forced the Chargers into a 22-yard field goal after the onside kick, which was a big moment in the game, according to Schwartz.
“There were a couple chances for that momentum to swing and for them to get a chance to get back in the game and that was one,” he said.
The other was on the next Lions defensive series when they held the Chargers on four-straight plays from the Lions 2-yard line.
“Played man-to-man on every snap and they were trying to pick us and rub us and everything else, but our guys did a good job of getting them covered and Alphonso (Smith), I think, got that break-up on that fourth-down play.
“There were a couple chances they had to get back in the game. (The defense) made the play that really turned out the lights on the Chargers.”
The fourth-down stop especially clinched it for the Lions.
The icing on the cake was a 4-yard interception return for a touchdown by
Avril’s touchdown was the Lions’ seventh by a fumble or interception return this season.
After the game, the Lions went around the stadium shaking hands and thanking fans for their support.
“Coach Schwartz told us late in the fourth when the game was in hand to go ahead and do that,” Stafford said. “I thought it was a great gesture and our fans responded.”
Schwartz gave Lions owner and chairman William Clay Ford the game ball.
“Obviously, it was a nice Christmas present for him,” Schwartz said.
