Minnesota Vikings: 4 Steps to Beating the Lions
By Luke Sims
Sep 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (94) sacks Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sportsa
1) Pressure Matt Stafford
Matt Stafford is having an interesting season that, at first glance, seems to be a bit of a down year. The poise that many have come to expect from him doesn’t “jump off the page” in the same way that is used to. His 268 yards per game so far this season isn’t keeping pace with some of the monstrous production he has put up in the past (three seasons with at least 290 yards per game) and he is throwing interceptions at the highest rate (3.8 percent) since his rookie season.
All of those less desirable statistics are noticeable even with the eye test.
What isn’t noticeable, however, is that Stafford is quietly having a decent season. He is completing a career-high percentage of his passes (64.6 percent), he is throwing touchdowns on 4.2 percent of his passes which is back on par with his better seasons, and he is limiting the number of sacks he is taking (3.7 percent of dropbacks).
While this is not the strongest season ever seen from Matt Stafford, it is strong enough to hint that the magic that led to a 5000 yard season in 2011 certainly is not gone and he is still an incredibly dangerous quarterback, just on the cusp of recapturing his earlier career highs.
The key to keeping the better Stafford from showing up will be getting pressure on him. The Minnesota Vikings are among the better teams at forcing pressure on quarterbacks and if they can ramp it up against Stafford they will be rewarded. When faced with pressure, Stafford has completed just 45.2 percent of his passes according to Pro Football Focus‘ measurements and has thrown four interceptions.
In the risk vs reward balance of ramping up pressure or focusing more on coverage, it’s pretty clear that the Vikings should lean toward pressure. With four defensive linemen on the official team injury report this week and both Sharrif Floyd and Justin Trattou ruled out for Sunday (via Vikings.com), the team may have to get creative to force pressure.
Stafford could crumble if they keep him on his toes all game long.
Next: Two offensive linemen who must step up