-- A lean couple of weeks left Golden Tate needing 101 yards to reach 1,000 on the season. And not only did he do it, but he did it in style, racing through the defense for a 71-yard touchdown that gave Detroit a 27-3 lead late in the third quarter. He teamed up with Marvin Jones to become the first Lions teammates to crack 1,000 yards since he and Calvin Johnson did it in 2014. It has only happened five other times in franchise history: Herman Moore/Brett Perriman (1995-96), Moore/Johnnie Morton (1997), Morton/Germaine Crowell (1999) and Roy Williams/Mike Furrey (2006).
-- With seven catches, Tate also pushed past 90 for the fourth time in as many seasons in Detroit. He's the first player in franchise history with four straight 90-catch seasons, and just the seventh in NFL history.
-- Not to be outdone, rookie Kenny Golladay chipped in 80 yards on two catches, 54 of which came on a touchdown grab in the first half. He finishes the season with five catches of at least 40 yards. Only one man has had more in Detroit since 2000, and that man is Calvin Johnson. And Golladay did it while operating behind two 1,000-yard recievers. Throw in Matthew Stafford, and the Lions have an offensive nucleus that should make them one of the hottest coaching jobs out there should Caldwell be fired as expected.
-- The Ezekiel Ansah question is one of the biggest facing Bob Quinn this offseason. Ansah, whose contract expires in March, racked up three more sacks against Green Bay. That gives him 12 for the season, the second-best output of his career. But anyone actually watching these games knows how misleading that is. He was just occupying space for most of the season. Nine of his sacks came in three games. He had just three in Detroit's other 13 games. So which is it? Is Ansah still a dominant pass rusher who was just slowed by injury the last two years? Or is he now a shell of himself who will occasionally remind of the player he once was? That's why they pay Bob Quinn the big bucks.
-- Teez Tabor was among four rookies who were playing on the field together in the first quarter, along with Jarrad Davis, Jamal Agnew and Jalen Reeves-Maybin. That's nearly half the defense, populated by rookies. But Quandre Diggs put an early end to that, spearing Tabor in the arm. Tabor left the game and did not return because of an arm injury.
-- The Lions rolled with a lot of Davis and Reeves-Maybin in the second half, a possible sneak preview of the starting linebackers in 2018. Tahir Whitehead, the usual starter at weak-side linebacker, is due to become a free agent. But Whitehead deserves credit for bouncing back from a disastrous 2016 season, too. He recovered his fourth fumble of the season against Green Bay.
-- Glover Quin forced the fumble that Whitehead recovered. His line for the season: Four fumbles forced, one fumble recovered, three interceptions and one touchdown. Not a bad season. Not bad at all. Some might even call it a Pro Bowl season.
-- Matthew Stafford solidified his place as a top-10 quarterback this season with another sharp day. He completed 20 of his 29 passes for 323 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. His 140.4 rating was his best since 2015, actually. Plus he caught that 2-point conversion pass on a beautiful play design by Jim Bob Cooter. The play began with Ameer Abdullah carrying the ball right, before he dished to Golden Tate coming back around on the reverse. And then Tate pulled up and lofted a pass to a wide-open Stafford, who then chucked the ball up into the stands. It was a fun and creative play call, which really begs the question: Where was this kind of thing when the plays actually mattered?
-- Running back Theo Riddick (ribs) and special teams ace Don Carey (knee) both left the game with injuries. Carey's looked particularly serious, and it required help for him to walk gingerly to the locker room. He's not a household name, but he's one of the best gunners in the league, and one of the biggest reasons Detroit has been so good on coverage teams the last couple years. He was named a captain against Green Bay, too. But he also turns 31 in February and can become a free agent in March. It's possible he has played his final game in Detroit.
-- The Lions swept the Packers for the first time since 1991.