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Paul Sancya / Associated Press
At home, on national television, as part of his team 's annual game, Matthew Stafford had a chance on Thanksgiving to help his Detroit Lions save their season with a win that would have moved Detroit to the United States. a game with a wild card slot in the NFC.
The 30-year-old quarterback was only able to put in a strong performance and help the Lions defeat an opponent traveling with less rest than any NFL team this season.
The CBS broadcast team actually suggested that the Chicago Bears were the first team in the history of the NFL to play a match just 85 hours after the end of their previous match. An injury was however added to the insult as they did not have quarter-franchise Mitchell Trubisky.
Despite all these circumstances, the Lions have failed. Stafford did the same, which was beaten by quarterback Chase Daniel in a shameful defeat 23-16 against Ford Field.
Call veteran, a veteran high-paying but inconsistent veteran, launched two interceptions – including one of six decisive choices – on as many wins in the fourth quarter as his team took a four-point lead in that period, leaving the Lions turn around the drain. 4-7, while there remains more than a month in the first season of head coach Matt Patricia.
Bleacher's report @Bleacher's report
Eddie Jackson read Stafford as a book
(via @thecheckdown) https://t.co/xqy1k2tfAU
Could this be the only season that will feature Stafford and Patricia together in southeastern Michigan?
It must be a thought.
In the last four critical mid-season games in Detroit, the Stafford-led Lions-led offensive averages only 16.8 points per outing. During that period, Stafford made three touchdown passes at four interceptions, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt and a 78.0 smuggler rating.
The four choices were against the Bears, who are certainly as tough as anyone in defense, but that is not a sufficient excuse. When you are the fifth highest paid player in the history of professional football, you sometimes have to have your teammates less accomplished, less talented and less well paid.
Stafford has not only failed to play this Thursday, but has not done so throughout the 2018 season.
Although he is relatively healthy this fall, Stafford is one of six quarterbacks with more than 10 steals and fewer than 20 touchdowns. His company? Sam Darnold, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jameis Winston, Case Keenum and Josh Rosen.
Last season was the highest ranked season of his career, but his passer rating has now dropped 9%. Two years ago, he led a record-breaking eighth of a quarter in the NFL. This year, it has zero and Detroit blew a pair ahead in the fourth quarter.
Interested in more excuses that do not hold water?
- Stafford did not have the sensational rookie Kerryon Johnson against the Bears, but veteran back LeGarrette Blount performed well in Johnson's place. Week 12.
- Its receiving body is shallow, especially with Golden Tate, now a member of Philadelphia Eaglesbut elite quarterbacks do very well with less than fantastic weapons.
- Tony Romo, CBS Color Officer, described the Lions crime as "stagnant," pointing to lack of movement and leadership errors by a unit with no leading talent. This is an indictment of offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, retained by Patricia but is probably on a leash. But Stafford has excelled under Cooter in 2017, and Patricia may have kept the two together in the hope that the offense will continue to improve. This of course has not happened.
Stafford is not the only problem of the team, but it is a problem when it should hide problems elsewhere, and c & # 39; the problem.
He is supposed to be in his heyday. This is his 10th season and it will certainly be his 10th without a playoff win. He took the Lions in the playoffs only three times during his decade in the Automotive City.
Perhaps now is the time to move to the most important position in the game, especially if it means saving $ 28.5 million a year, which, according to Spotrac, is Stafford's average cape over the last four years. next seasons.
Tim Alberta @TimAlberta
Matt Stafford is a 10-year veteran, with nearly $ 200 million in career earnings, and has never won a playoff game.
Stafford might not be suitable for Patricia's conservative approach. Under Patricia, Detroit's personnel strategy is likely to continue to move towards strengthening the defense. Lions could certainly use some of Stafford's money for this, and they would be well advised to consider any offer from those who wish to remove it from their responsibilities.
It would not be easy, but it's not out of the question.
First, General Manager Bob Quinn and his boss, Martha Firestone Ford, should agree that the ship was able to convince Stafford to bring a Vince Lombardi trophy to Wayne County. It may seem obvious since Stafford has not yet led the franchise to a playoff win in almost a decade, but it would be a hard pill to swallow for an organization that has not had a level quarterback comparable to Stafford since before. the invention of the microchip.
Second, they should convince a competitor to exchange his prize against Stafford and his bloated salary. But you simply know that someone would look into his abilities and think he could get more out of him than Detroit. The three Florida teams could be looking for quarterbacks next season, and you have to think about Dallas CowboysThe New York Giants and Oakland Raiders could be potential contenders.
Lions are likely to decide that it is better to adopt a payment approach on the principle of "praying, that is, paying Stafford and praying for it to end up." see the light and live an awakening later than ideal ". And there is even a chance that hindsight favors this strategy.
But with an almost constant stream of cheap young quarterback arriving each spring on the shores of the NFL, the reception desk would be silly not to explore the commerce market and consider alternative options in the center.
Brad Gagnon has been covering the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.
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