Matthew Stafford’s play determines Detroit Lions’ future

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Stafford is an excellent quarterback, but can he do enough to get the Detroit Lions out of a crowded NFC? Is the Lions’ fate fully on Stafford’s shoulders? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

DAN:

Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions, by all accounts, are having a very good season. Yet at 7-3 the Lions are far from a lock for the playoffs. The fate of this football team rests on the arm of Matthew Stafford.

Now I realize this is not a game changing statement. The fate of most NFL teams rests on its quarterback. But Matthew Stafford’s performances this season have been up and down, highs and lows, and ultimately dictated the overall success of the Lions.

Loss to Carolina: Stafford had a pick and was sacked four times with a QBR of 55.5 (out of 100)
Loss to Buffalo: Stafford had a pick and was sacked six times with a QBR of 33.2
Loss to Arizona: Stafford had a pick and was sacked four times with a QBR of 27.5

I smell a distinct pattern here, and considering one of the Lions’ three losses was to the awful Panthers, we can not chalk this up to simply facing above average defenses.

The Lions are second worst in the entire NFL at running the football, so their respectable ranking of 12th in passing truly falls by the wayside. Three of their seven victories were by four points or less, with two of them by a single point. I really like Detroit, but they scare the crap out of me.

Can Matthew Stafford do enough to take this team to the playoffs? Is it truly all on his shoulders? I’ve ridden the fantasy football roller coaster with him for some time, but in the past the team fell short of his statistics. I fear this season may end similarly for Detroit.

Next: Todd's Opinion