Detroit Lions: 3 Things that can’t go as badly in Week 2 vs. 49ers

The quarterback play will be better

Matthew Stafford doesn’t throw a lot of interceptions. He did, however, throw a lot of interceptions last week. This is the biggest area in which Lions fans can expect a bounce back in Week 2.

Stafford’s stat line of 27 completions on 46 attempts for 286 yards with one touchdown and four picks is a severe outlier for him. Early in Stafford’s career, he was prone to multi-interception games, but his four picks in the opener were 40 percent of his total in either of the last two seasons.

Stafford’s career ball security numbers are solid. In the last four seasons, he has never finished with an interception percentage higher than 2.2 percent. In Week 1, he threw a pick on 8.7 percent of his passes. Stafford also typically rebounds well from bad games. Over the last four seasons, he has completed 62 percent of his passes and has a TD-INT ratio of 3:1 in the week after a multi-interception performance.

There is little doubt that the Lions will get more out of their quarterback in week 2 than they did in Week 1. Stafford and Cassel combined for an 80 interception pace across a 16 game season. The record, held by the 1962 Houston Oilers is 48. The Week 1 pace can can not be sustained.