Do the Lions owe Tom Brady and the Patriots a big thank you?

The Patriots needed a fourth-quarter push to beat the Lions 45-24 on Thanksgiving. It was the Lions’ biggest defeat during their 6-10 season. Seven of their 10 losses were by 8 points or less.

Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh calls that the “breaking point.’’ After that loss, the Lions 24-20 to Chicago and it was their final loss of the season.

“At that breaking point, at the Thanksgiving game, that’s more or less (when we) started to learn how to finish and learned exactly how close we are to being able to take those wins and figuring out what we had to get done with our own selves,’’ Suh said. “It wasn’t always the other teams affecting us and the way they play, we played a lot of great teams, playoff teams as you can see, but I think at that point we learned how to finish.’’

And that was the key, the breaking point if you will.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)