Golden Tate took what should have been a 15-yard grab and turned it into a 73-yard game-swinging touchdown scamper in the Detroit Lions' 24-23 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
At the time, the Lions trailed 23-10 with less than four minutes to play in a game that looked lost for Detroit. Tate then pulled the home team back in.
"The next thing I know, the ball was in my hands," Tate said of the catch, per the Detroit Free Press. "And I landed on my feet, and it was off to the races and just trying to my best to score or give us great field position to gain momentum.
"And it worked out. It worked out so perfectly, it's almost like a dream what happened."
Tate has been exactly what the Lions dreamed of when they signed the receiver in the offseason -- which is looking like the best free agent signing of the year -- underscored by his 10-catch, 154-yard performance Sunday (both career-high marks).
The Lions brought in Tate to be Calvin Johnson's sidekick. Instead, Tate has carried an offense that has limped through its past six games. Tate is fifth in the NFL in receiving yards (649), with 448 of those coming in the past four weeks when Johnson was either out or playing a decoy role.
The Lions are 2-0 sans Megatron the past two weeks. Detroit had been 1-4 in games without Johnson since 2009 (Matthew Stafford's rookie season).
The NFL's No. 1 defense clearly is the main reason the Lions are winning and have a 5-2 record, but Detroit wouldn't be anywhere without Tate.
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