Passage: Coming off their win over the Colts, the Patriots flew to Ford Field, donned their throwback uniforms, and played a Week 12 Thanksgiving game with the Detroit Lions. After the first three possessions of the game ended in punts, the struck first blood, driving all the way to the Lions 2-yard line, but could only muster a 19-yard field goal by Shayne Graham. The Lions countered, driving 71 yards in 11 plays, scoring on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Shaun Hill to Calvin Johnson. After a Patriots punt, another long Lions drive, going 63 yards in 13 plays, ended with running back Maurice Morris punching through a 1-yard touchdown run, increasing the Lions lead to 14-3. The Patriots answered their touchdown with one of their own, marching 83 yards in 10 plays, scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run by Green-Ellis with 0:45 seconds left in the half. The Lions appeared to have stopped the Patriots after Brady threw an incomplete pass on 3rd-and-6, but DeAndre Levy was called for pass interference, giving the Patriots a 1st down. Stefan Logan returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to the Lions 33. The return allowed the Lions to drive to the Patriots 26 and Dave Rayner was good on a 44-yard field goal, giving the Patriots a 17-10 halftime lead. After forcing a Patriots punt, McCourty intercepted Hill on an underthrown pass, and returned it 23 yards to the Lions' 26. Five plays later, Brady threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Welker, tying the game 17-17. However, the Patriots weak defense couldn't catch a break. Aided by Logan's 42-yard return, the Lions countered, marching 58 yards in 9 plays, with Morris scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run, putting the Lions back out in front, 24-17. The Patriots needed just three plays to strike back, with Brady finding Branch deep on a 79-yard touchdown, capping off the 87-yard drive and tying the game 24-24. This was the Patriots' longest play from scrimmage of their 2010 season. After a 30-yard kick return by Logan, the Lions drove all the way to the Patriots 28, but Rayner missed a 46-yard field goal, keeping the game tied. The Patriots regained the lead on their ensuing drive, with Brady completing 3/3 passes for 59 yards on a 64-yard drive, finding Branch again on a 22-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. After a Lions punt, the Patriots marched 84 yards in 7 plays, scoring on a 16-yard touchdown pass to Welker, extending the lead to 38-24. On the third play of the Lions' next drive, Hill was intercepted by McCourty, who returned it 50 yards to the Lions 12. Four plays later, the Patriots put the game out of reach with a 1-yard touchdown run by Green-Ellis, making the score 45-24. During the extra point and afterwards, the Lions were called for three personal fouls, including one on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. This allowed the Patriots to kick off from the Lions' 40-yard line, and Graham was able to put the ball through the uprights, to a storm of boos from the Ford Field crowd. The Lions drove to the Patriots 6-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs and the Patriots took a knee to end the game. With the win, New England improved to 9-2. Brady (21/27, 341 yards, 4 touchdowns, perfect 158.3 passer rating) was named CBS's All-Iron Award winner by Phil Simms. Runners up for the award included Suh, Johnson, Branch, and Morris.
Output: What was the longest touchdown play of the game?