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Eric Woodyard, ESPN
HOUSTON — Nineteen months ago, Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates was training to be a salesman in Houston at the Acme Brick company and thought his NFL dream was over. On Sunday night, he celebrated a 52-yard walk-off field goal to help the Lions overcome a 16-point deficit and beat the Texans 26-23.
“I just don’t deserve this,” said Bates, who spent last season with the Michigan Panthers in the UFL. “I was a soccer player growing up, I idolized football players in the NFL and all that stuff and just to be here is surreal. I’m still finding myself kind of pinching myself. I’m so grateful for all the doors that the Lord’s opened for me.”
Bates, a native of Tomball, Texas, also nailed a 58-yard field goal with 5:01 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 23-23. That was the third-longest field goal in team history.
Those clutch field goals were pivotal in Detroit’s victory on a night when Lions quarterback Jared Goff also threw a career-high five interceptions.
After helping the Lions improve to 8-1 for the first time since 1954, Bates struggled to find the words to describe the experience, but his teammates were certainly impressed.
“I was like holding on. I was just like, ‘Please, please, please,'” said Lions cornerback Carlton Davis, who logged two interceptions. “Because they are a good team, and you don’t want to give them too many chances to get back in the game, and he iced the game for us. He did his job and I’m so happy for him.”
In Week 7 at Minnesota, Bates’ game-winning 44-yard field goal also led the Lions to a divisional victory. He has made all 14 field goals he has attempted this season.
In the waning seconds at Houston, as Bates trotted onto the field at NRG Stadium for the decisive kick, Goff said his first thoughts were, “Holy smokes.”
With the victory, Goff became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw five interceptions on the road and still go on to win the game. His five picks were also the most in a prime-time game since Drew Brees in 2012.
“Ultimately, I never lost confidence because I felt like I was doing what I was supposed to do on most of those plays and our defense really bailed us out,” said Goff, who went 15-for-30 for 240 passing yards and two touchdowns. “They really did all day and guys stuck with me on offense and I was telling them, ‘Hey man, I’m good. Just hang in there. I’m good. I’m going to have this thing figured out,’ and they stuck with me.”
Detroit also overcame the largest halftime deficit (16 points) ever by a winning team that threw five or more interceptions, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Goff described it a “roller coaster of a game” as well as a “mental battle” to overcome those turnovers, but he said the experience will help him down the stretch.
“When you can dig in deep in those adverse situations and come out on top, it just prepares you for the next adverse situation,” Goff said. “It’s never over ’til it’s over. We were in a hole there and they were playing well, they were humming on defense. I kept giving them the ball over and over and we fought. We really did.”
Detroit has now won seven consecutive games, with four of their past five coming on the road. The Lions will return to face the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday at home, where coach Dan Campbell has the ultimate faith in his team and its kicker to continue the winning streak.
“Look, I feel really good about our team. They haven’t done anything that would surprise me negatively,” Campbell said. “They’re exactly what I thought they would be, the fight they got in them.”
