Saints' rally falls short in loss to Lions
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Matthew Stafford passed for 254 yards and three touchdowns, and the Detroit Lions held off a late surge by New Orleans to defeat the Saints 35-27 on Monday night.
Detroit (5-9) raced to a 28-3 lead, but Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes -- one shortly after a Lions fumble -- to help New Orleans (5-9) pull to 28-20 with about 10 minutes left.
Brees passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, becoming only the fourth quarterback to surpass 60,000 yards in a career while also eclipsing the 4,000-yard mark for the 10th straight season.
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But New Orleans' loss guaranteed consecutive losing seasons for the first time since Sean Payton became coach in 2006.
Golden Tate caught two touchdown passes for Detroit. The Lions' last-ranked running game accounted for 150 yards and two TDs against New Orleans' last-ranked run defense.