Stafford's 5 TD passes key Lions' comeback

DETROIT -- Matthew Stafford shook off a couple of early interceptions Sunday, then led the Lions to yet another memorable comeback.

Stafford matched a career best with five touchdown passes, the final one a 7-yarder to Brandon Pettigrew with 2:32 left, and the Lions rallied for a 49-35 win over the Panthers.

"We were killing ourselves with turnovers," Stafford said. "We knew that we'd be able to score in the second half if we could just keep our hands on the ball."

The Lions (7-3) scored five second-half touchdowns and became the first NFL team since at least 1950 to win three games in a season after trailing by at least 17 points, according to STATS, LLC.

"We can get as hot as any team in the league," coach Jim Schwartz said.

The Panthers (2-8) led by 17 points in the second quarter and had a 27-14 lead at halftime.

Detroit will host the 10-0 Packers on Thanksgiving. "Against Green Bay, you can't make the mistakes we did," Schwartz said.

Against Carolina, though, the Comeback Cats were able to overcome early turnovers with a barrage of touchdown passes by Stafford. The Lions scored 21 straight points to take a 35-27 lead early in the fourth quarter, but couldn't put the game away until the final minutes.

Carolina tied it with 4:59 left on rookie quarterback Cam Newton's 6-yard run and two-point conversion pass to Steve Smith.

Stafford started the winning drive with a 30-yard completion to Calvin Johnson and capped it with his sharp pass to Pettigrew in the end zone on a third-down play.

The Lions sealed it when Newton threw his season-high fourth interception on Carolina's next play.

"It was as if we were just trying to hold on," Newton said. "You can't do that to a team like this."

Minnesota and Dallas learned that early this season. The Lions trailed the Vikings and Cowboys by 20-plus points to win on the road during their 5-0 start.

Kevin Smith gave the Lions a surprising boost, running for 140 yards and three TDs, both career highs, two weeks after he was sitting on a couch without a job before his former team gave him a shot.

Stafford completed 28 of 36 for 335 yards.

"It's just like being a shooting guard," Lions receiver Nate Burleson said. "Once he hit a couple shots, you could see it in his eyes. He was in the huddle winking at guys."