Detroit Lions: 5 Keys To Success In 2015

Jan 4, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws during the game against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

4. Matthew Stafford’s Accuracy Must Continue To Improve

Last season, Matthew Stafford completed 60.3% of his passes, good for only 25th in the league. This was the best percentage Stafford has had since 2011, (63.5%) and only the second time in his career when he has been over 60%

The only quarterback who started all 16 games in 2014 and had a worse completion rating was Oakland rookie Derek Carr. It seems that across the league, coaches required a higher completion percentage from their full-time starters.. except for Matthew Stafford and a developing rookie for a struggling Oakland franchise.

Stafford has got a career 59.6% completion percentage, and he needs to do better than that if he wants to lead his team to success. Luckily, his coaches believe he can do just that (per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press):

"“Like I said, we really can’t tell a whole lot because sometimes guys are catching balls where ordinarily they’d get hit at that time,” Caldwell said about Stafford’s accuracy, “But I do think there’s improvement in that area. He’s improved, he has a better feel for the system. You can see our timing’s better, receivers have a better sense of the routes that they’re running. All around I think we’ve made some improvement.”"

Hopefully, the team as a whole will be able to work together to keep footballs of of the ground. Only Derek Carr saw more of his passes fall incomplete than Stafford did, and incomplete passes are never indicative of a robust offense. The team was 19th in total offense and 22nd in yards per play.

With talented receiving weapons such as Golden Tate, Calvin Johnson, and Eric Ebron, Stafford has got to do all he can to get the ball in their hands. If he can improve his accuracy, he’ll let his playmakers do what they do best.. make plays.

Next: Running Game