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Stock Up: Matthew Stafford
I know PFF had nothing but bad things to say about the Detroit Lions signal caller. His stats for the night were okay, not exceptional but definitely not bad, but they hardly tell the story of what he was going through. Matthew Stafford was hit nearly every time he dropped back to pass. He faced immediate, devastating pressure all game.
Matthew Stafford of previous years would have caved under that pressure quickly. This year? He remained poised in the pocket. His internal clock was ticking and he was getting the ball off just before taking vicious shots. By the fourth quarter he was bleeding from his previously injured elbow. His left hand had been looked at by trainers. His ribs were possibly broken. And yet he still walked out onto the field and delivered pass after pass, taking hit after hit.
Don’t let the stupid narratives draw you in, either. When Stafford was hit out-of-bounds by Anthony Barr, players absolutely came to his aid. Even an injured player, Brandon Pettigrew, jumped right in to defend his quarterback. Why weren’t there more players there? Most of the offensive starters were still out on the field and Jim Schwartz doesn’t coach the Detroit Lions anymore.
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