Stafford and Luck career comparison
By Matt Urben
Stafford and Luck have had very similar career paths thus far
Stafford had more yards, more interceptions and the exact same number of passing touchdowns through their first 55 games. The obvious difference has been Luck’s Playoff success
Andrew Luck and Matthew Stafford have a lot in common. Both were 1st-overall picks in the draft, taken three years apart. Stafford was taken in 2009, and Luck in 2012, yet just a year and a half apart in age.
Both have taken rebuilding teams to the Playoffs multiple times. Both are gunslingers, who sometimes throw questionable interceptions Both have taken an absolute beating behind poor offensive lines. And then the stats are remarkably close.
Through Andrew Luck’s first four seasons, he’s played 55 games, throwing for 101 touchdowns, 14,838 yards and 55 interceptions for a career passer rating of 85.
Through Stafford’s first 55 games, he threw for 101 touchdowns, 16,005 yards, with 62 interceptions. Stafford’s career passer rating is 85.8.
Stafford had more yards, more interceptions and the exact same number of passing touchdowns. The obvious difference has been Luck’s Playoff success. It is fair to say the NFC North has been a far tougher division than the AFC South during that time, but Stafford has been in the league longer, so there’s really no excuse.
The question now becomes where will they go from here? Luck, after being remarkably durable early in his career, missed 9 games last season with injuries. The Colts missed the Playoffs for the first time since drafting him in 2012. The general hype around him has cooled off since the Patriots thrashed them in the 2015 Playoffs. Many people, unfairly or not, have that image of Luck tossing ill-advised interceptions burned into their brains.
Last year, many expected Luck to take that next step towards greatness. However, his 15 interceptions in just 7 games indicated he was trending in a different direction. The Colts really haven’t done a good job in building around Luck and have asked him to do too much, based off his early success. If they had some kind of a defense and a better offensive line, they probably don’t see last year’s regression from Luck.
The Colts felt comfortable enough to give him a monster contract yesterday, worth an estimated $87 million in guaranteed money. Brandon’s piece from yesterday examines how it may affect Stafford’s upcoming contract.
Stafford had a similar dropoff after early success. Following his impressive 41-touchdown season of 2011, he threw just 20 the following year. Stafford certainly has fallen out of favor with a big portion of the Lions’ fanbase since he has yet to win a Playoff game. You can make a similar argument for why Stafford has regressed, but having been in the league longer, fans are tired of excuses.
New offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has given fans some reason for optimism over where Stafford’s career may be headed. Stafford had arguably the best 8-game stretch of his career during the second half of last season. Cooter focused the gameplan on Stafford’s quick release and ability to spread the ball around. Johnson’s retirement is certainly cause for concern, but Johnson had only one 100-yard game during that final 6-2 stretch.
It’s hard to imagine Stafford could be better without Megatron, but a sense of unpredictability is something you can’t really have with a $20 million-dollar receiver on the roster. The Lions’ defense should be improved with better overall depth and talent along the defensive line. If the Lions can win next season without Johnson, Stafford can get back in favor with fans and national analysts.
Stafford and the Lions head to Indy to face Luck’s Colts in Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season. It will be the second matchup for the two, with Luck pulling off a miraculous comeback in the final seconds at Ford Field in their first meeting. Lions fans haven’t forgotten the two’s memorable first matchup. I know I haven’t. I remember leaving the game early with a buddy only to watch Luck flick that game-winning touchdown pass from a local bar outside the stadium.
While the national perception has changed for the two of them, both represent some of the better 1st-overall picks in this league.