Lions fourth quarter outburst makes history

Jim Otto

It took every bit of the Detroit Lions’ 34 points scored in the fourth quarter yesterday to put away their division rival Chicago Bears (NFL.com Game Center: DET 37, CHI 27(Opens in a new window)). The Lions offensive explosion set a record for most points ever scored in the fourth quarter of a NFL game.  The previous mark of 31 was held by three different teams. 

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December 17, 1960 – Oakland Raiders 48, Denver Broncos 10
Through the first three quarters, these AFL rivals were evenly matched as Oakland held a 17-10 advantage over Denver.  After a late third quarter drive ended with a field goal for Oakland just nine seconds into the fourth quarter, the rout was on.  Four Denver turnovers led to 28 unanswered points for Oakland.  Four different Raiders scored as veteran quarterback Babe Parilli led the charge with a rushing touchdown followed by two touchdowns through the air.  Rookie center Jim Otto helped plow the way for the Raiders attack that accounted for 220 rushing yards. Program Cover(Opens in a new window) | Box score(Opens in a new window)

Steve Bartkowski

December 8, 1963 – Oakland Raiders 41, San Diego Chargers 27
Facing a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to the division-leading Chargers, backup quarterback Cotton Davidson stepped in to lead the rally for the Raiders.  Davidson threw touchdown passes of 10 and 40 yards to receiver Art Powell and ran for a 9-yard score in the Raiders victory. Powell totaled three receiving touchdowns on the day to aid in the offensive output for the Silver and Black.  Hall of Famer Lance Alworth recorded 3 catches for 71 yards and scored 1 touchdown for San Diego. Program Cover(Opens in a new window) | Box score(Opens in a new window)

September 13, 1981 – Atlanta Falcons 31, Green Bay Packers 17
Defense and special teams helped bring Atlanta back in this come-from-behind victory.  Down 17-3 in the final stanza, Atlanta forced a Green Bay punt that was returned 53 yards by Reggie Smith, setting up a Falcons touchdown.  A tie late in the game was broken wide open as the defense came up with an interception and a fumble return for touchdowns that came within three minutes of each other.  Quarterback Steve Bartkowski paced the Falcons with 233 yards passing and threw 1 touchdown while Packers receiver James Lofton gained 179 yards on 8 receptions. Program Cover(Opens in a new window) | Box score(Opens in a new window)

September 30, 2007
Chicago	0	7	6	14	-	27
Detroit	3	0	0	34	-	37
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
DET - Hanson 49 field goal
Second Quarter
CHI - Muhammad 15 pass from Griese (Gould kick)
Third Quarter
CHI - Gould 49 field goal
CHI - Gould 41 field goal
Fourth Quarter
DET - McDonald 4 pass from Kitna (Hanson kick)
DET - Smith 64 interception return (Hanson kick)
CHI - Hester 97 kickoff return (Gould kick)
DET - Walters 15 pass from Kitna (Hanson kick)
DET - Jones 5 run (kick blocked)
CHI - Clark 1 pass from Griese (Gould kick)
DET - Fitzsimmons 41 kickoff return (Hanson kick)
Statistics
Rushing	CHI - Benson, 15 for 50; Griese, 2 for 8; Peterson 2 for 8; Wolfe, 3 for 3. DET - Bell, 11 for 46, Jones, 10 for 38, 1 TD; McDonald, 1 for 9; Bradley, 1 for 3; Kitna 2 for (-1).
Passing	CHI - Griese, 34 of 52 for 286, 2 TDs, 3 INTs. DET - Kitna, 20 of 24 for 247, 2 TDs.
Receiving	CHI - Berrian, 8 for 99; Clark, 7 for 44, 1 TD; Muhammad, 5 for 49, 1 TD; Davis, 5 for 38; Benson, 5 for 24; Peterson, 3 for 29; Hester, 1 for 3. DET - Williams, 6 for 53; Furrey, 5 for 91; McDonald, 3 for 31, 1 TD; Walters, 2 for 36, 1 TD; Jones 2 for 6; McHugh, 1 for 23; Bell, 1 for 7.

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Related Links:
The Half of It(Opens in a new window)
Team Histories: Atlanta Falcons(Opens in a new window) | Chicago Bears(Opens in a new window) | Denver Broncos(Opens in a new window) | Detroit Lions(Opens in a new window) | Green Bay Packers(Opens in a new window) | Oakland Raiders(Opens in a new window) | San Diego Chargers(Opens in a new window) 
 Hall of Famer Bios: Lance Alworth(Opens in a new window) | James Lofton(Opens in a new window) | Jim Otto(Opens in a new window)
NFL.com Historical Players: Art Powell(Opens in a new window) | Reggie Smith(Opens in a new window) | Steve Bartkowski(Opens in a new window)