Hard hit can't keep Kitna down

DETROIT - Jon Kitna threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Roy Williams early in the second quarter Sunday. And for a long time, he didn't remember doing it.

Kitna had been hit hard by Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards earlier in the drive, and after the touchdown pass, he was taken out of the game. He gave way to J.T. O'Sullivan, who has suited up for five NFL teams -- including the Vikings -- in five seasons.

O'Sullivan held the fort, throwing his first NFL pass and 22 others, completing 13 for 148 yards and a touchdown. He also had two interceptions and lost a fumble that Edwards returned for a touchdown.

So Kitna, after recovering his senses, returned midway through the fourth quarter in a tie game and eventually led the Lions to a 20-17 overtime victory. And he remembered his touchdown pass to Williams.

"It knocked me woozy for a while," recalled Kitna, who threw for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 22-for-33 passing in about two quarters of work.

"Now, I remember everything. I remember how tight the window was and Roy making a nice catch."

And he continued with a joke: "The only thing I forget is the interception I threw and the fumble I had."

After that drive, Kitna relinquished quarterbacking to O'Sullivan, but he didn't refer to his injury as a concussion.

"The last concussion I had was in 2000, and I couldn't remember plays," he said. "This wasn't the case."

He returned after being cleared by trainers, with 8:22 left in the fourth quarter and the score tied 17-17.

In his first drive back, he completed four of five passes, moving the offense 48 yards to the Minnesota 17, but Williams fumbled the ball away after a reception.

In his second try, Kitna led a 50-yard drive with four completions and a 9-yard run, but Jason Hanson pulled a 48-yard field goal left.

In overtime, Kitna caught his own pass on a batted ball and scampered 9 yards on first down, then scrambled for 6 more yards on third-and-2. At the end of both plays, he lowered his head on Vikings cornerback Marcus McCauley to fight for more yards.

On his final play, Kitna handed off to Brian Calhoun, who ran for 17 yards -- 30 percent of Detroit's 56 rushing yards on the day. Hanson nailed a 37-yard, game-winning field goal on the next snap.

"He led this football team to a victory," Williams said of Kitna.

O'Sullivan's day was shaky, but it was basically his NFL debut.

"I'm very proud of him," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. "He came in under tough circumstances, but he works every day and that's what he's supposed to do."