Matthew Stafford a Ray of Hope for Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are tipped by many to qualify for the playoffs this season. Just try telling the fans that.

Detroit Lions fans will be down following Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to Super Bowl contenders the Kansas City Chiefs.

The melancholy is both understandable and predictable for a fanbase which has institutionalized it’s disappointment at this point. 

Lions fans suffered throughout the 90’s, and became the first team to go 0 – 16 in 2008. As a result, there is a longstanding culture of cynicism among Detroit Lions fans.

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One man who hasn’t suffered through all of that with them is star quarterback Matthew Stafford. In fact, he was drafted No. 1 one year after their 16-loss season in 2009, and has flirted intermittently with MVP form ever since. 

Matthew Stafford’s performance against the Chiefs was a ray of hope for the downtrodden Detroit Lions. The 2015 Pro Bowl Offensive MVP outperformed Patrick Mahomes on Sunday despite dealing with a nagging hip injury. 

Matthew Stafford finished the game 21/34 (61.7%) with 291 yards and three touchdowns. His quarterback rating at the end of the game was 118.6.

As well as that, he averaged 8.56 yard per attempt and 13.86 yards per completion. Stafford also carried the ball twice for 18 yards.

Although one of his fumbles was costly, it was only one of two. If Stafford can rediscover his best form, the Lions have every chance of making the postseason.

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In 2017, he became the highest paid player in NFL history at the time, signing a $135 million contract. Stafford is the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season. As well as that, he is the fastest player in history to reach 30,000 yards, which he did in 109 games for the Lions.