Detroit Lions: 3 X-factor players for Week 7 vs. Falcons

1. Matthew Stafford, Quarterback.

Matthew Stafford has been quiet so far. The veteran quarterback has been ok, nothing more than a game manager for Detroit. Truth be told, he wasn’t really needed last time out as D’Andre Swift and the Lions ran all over Jacksonville. But he’ll be needed this week.

For all of Atlanta’s woes defending the pass, they have been ok against the run. Now we should check it with the fact that because they have led so much, teams have thrown much more as they attempt to come back. But they do rank seventh in ESPN’s run stop win rate metric. All of which means if the Lions backs are contained, they’ll need the former Georgia bulldog to step up.

Stafford has the most talented all-around receiver corps he had in his Lions career, and he is accustomed to playing in a dome. With a suspect secondary to attack, the intermediate and deep passes should come back into the mix, even more so if Atlanta is honoring the run.

The Lions have looked to have been a ball-control offense, and while they will still want to be that on Sunday, Stafford will have opportunities to attack. His average yards gained per pass last week was just over six. That should change.

Stafford is the better quarterback on the field when the two teams take the field. With the variety of tools he has at his disposal and the run game element lurking in the forefront of defenses minds, Stafford should have bigger windows to throw in, and they can really stretch this field.

If Detroit can stay on schedule on the first downs, they can open up the playbook and really let Stafford rip. If the big-armed Texan stars well, he could have his best performance of the season to date. I think he’ll put on a show as he returns to Georgia.