Falcons 31, Lions 18
Matt Ryan tied a career high with four touchdown passes as visiting Atlanta overcame Calvin Johnson's record-setting night and secured home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Roddy White had eight catches for 153 yards and two scores for the Falcons (13-2), who built a 21-6 halftime lead and put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.
Johnson hauled in 11 passes for 225 yards for the Lions (4-11), who have lost seven in a row. The sizzling performance gave Johnson 1,892 yards this year, breaking Jerry Rice's single-season record of 1,848.
Ryan and White connected for a 44-yard touchdown with just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter and hooked up again for 39-yard score with 9:54 left in the second, giving Atlanta a 14-3 lead. Julio Jones caught a 16-yard scoring strike from Ryan late in the first half before Detroit scored 13 straight points to get within 21-16.
Any thoughts of a comeback were dashed with 7:12 remaining in the fourth, when Ryan hit Michael Palmer for a 1-yard TD.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Johnson is the only player in league history with 100 yards receiving in eight consecutive games and 10 receptions in four straight contests. ... Ryan completed 25 of 32 passes for 279 yards. ... Detroit's Matthew Stafford went 37-of-56 for 443 yards but did not have a touchdown pass. He needs seven attempts to break Drew Bledsoe's single-season record of 691 set in 1994.