Lions 34, Cowboys 30
Dallas native Matt Stafford threw a go-ahead, 2-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson with 1:44 to play and the visiting Detroit Lions pulled off another stunning comeback with a 34-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
The Lions are 4-0 for the first time since 1980, and Johnson became the first player in NFL history to have at least two touchdowns in each of the first four games of a season.
One week after rallying from 20 points down against Minnesota, the Lions overcame a 24-point deficit by taking advantage of three second-half interceptions by Tony Romo – two of which were returned for touchdowns.
After Stephen Tulloch intercepted Romo at the Dallas 40-yard line, the Lions quickly marched in for the go-ahead score to extend their winning streak to eight games and give them a franchise-record fifth consecutive road win.
Stafford, who won a state championship for nearby Highland Park as a high school senior, lobbed a fade to Johnson after a holding penalty gave the Lions a first-and-goal.
Detroit trailed 27-3 after Romo’s third touchdown pass – a 1-yard toss to Jason Witten – but the Lions returned interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive third-quarter series.
Former Cowboy linebacker Bobby Carpenter ran back a pick 35 yards and Chris Houston’s 56-yard return for a score gave the Lions new life.
For the Cowboys (2-2), it was a meltdown eerily similar to the Week 1 loss to the New York Jets in which they blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead for the first time in team history.
Romo threw two touchdowns to Dez Bryant in the first half as Dallas took a 20-3 lead at intermission.