Detroit Lions Stock Report: Week 6

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Other teams near the bottom won some games, so the Detroit Lions are still in the thick of the “worst team in the NFL race” until they string together a few, but it sure is nice to get a win.  Even an ugly win like what the Lions were able to pull off against the Chicago Bears.  Sure, they were a couple plays away from a loss, but they were also a few plays away from a blowout win, and what matters at the end of the day is that “W”. There are good and bad takeaways just like every other week, but it’s nice to have more positives than negatives to talk about for a change!

Stock Up: Matthew Stafford

What a way to bounce back after a terrible game, huh?  Matthew Stafford looked defeated against the Arizona Cardinals, making bad decisions and getting happy feet even when the pressure wasn’t there.  He saw the bench for the first time in his career, dating all the way back to his Pop Warner days.  Fans were calling for him to be traded. That fire we’ve all been waiting for appeared to be lit, and Stafford delivered one of those vintage performances that remind us that he’s the all time leading Detroit Lions passer.

Statistically on point, Matthew Stafford threw for his 8th 4+ TD game and 15th game winning drive of his career. There were a few dumb moments, most notably and most obviously his pick, but for the most part he was doing exactly what needed to be done to win against the Bears.  Now, the Bears are no all time defense, but all the same Stafford was making big time throw after big time throw.

The only concerning thing for me with Stafford was that he reacted to pressure that wasn’t there again.  This is a recent trend, considering he was doing pretty well with the ridiculous pressure he was getting early in the year, but it’s troubling to consider that his clock might be running a little ahead.  Stafford even showed well in the run game, coming up with a couple of big time scrambles that put the team in good positions, even breaking tackles along the way.

Next: Taking the Opportunity and, well, Fumbling It

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