2018 will be a big year for Matthew Stafford, as the Detroit Lions’ QB looks to justify his record-setting contract. Here’s a look back at last season.
For the next month or so, I’m going to devote my weekly posts to recapping various aspects of the Detroit Lions‘ 2017 season.
This week, my focus is on the continued maturation of franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Stafford’s 2017 passing stats
4,446 passing yards, 29 TD/10 int, 99.3 QB rating
The numbers aren’t entirely going to back me up here, but in my mind Stafford had his most impressive season as a pro in 2017. Although achieving career highs in both QB rating and yards per attempt (7.9), there aren’t any categories that really leap off the page statistics-wise for him.
The monster yardage and touchdown numbers from the volatile but enormously entertaining 2011 season are missing (5,000+ yards, 40+ TDs). He doesn’t approach the sheer volume of attempts and completions (NFL leader in both) from 2012. “The only stat that matters” (win total) fell a few games short of the 11 win season in 2014. We also didn’t see anything close to the absurdity of his eight 4th quarter comeback wins as in 2016.
Statistically Stafford had a relatively quiet 2017 season by his standards. Even in a quiet season though, he finished 3rd in the league in passing yards, 4th in touchdowns, 6th in QB rating, and tied his career low in interceptions. Let’s also not forget that he led the Lions to a winning record for the 3rd time in four years. No quarterback in Detroit has done that since Bobby Layne.
These accomplishments become more impressive considering some of the limitations of the rest of the Lions offense.