Lions vs. Chiefs, Matthew Stafford vs. Patrick Mahomes to keep division lead

The Detroit Lions have a chance to take the lead in the NFC North. To accomplish the feat they will have to beat the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.

The Detroit Lions are 2-0-1 in their first three contests of the 2019 season. That may be surprising to some people outside of the Motor City but the die-hard, One Pride nation knows what the Lions are capable of.

Although Lions’ head coach Matt Patricia is a defensive mind, this week we’ll discuss the men under center who are likely to decide this next game versus the Kansas City Chiefs and their golden-armed phenom, Patrick Mahomes.

This week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs will be determined by a strong-armed, former Texas gunslinger quarterback who doesn’t have to set his feet to get his playmakers the ball.

Obviously, this statement could apply to either quarterback in a contest with both Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes being guys with uncommon, elite arm strength who grew up two hours apart from each other. As amazing as Mahomes has been in his two-plus years in the NFL, Stafford has been doing similar things since he entered the league in 2009.

Both hail from the greater Dallas area, Stafford from Highland Park and Mahomes from Whitehouse, Texas. Both are known for their tremendous arms and ability to throw from almost any angle without having to adhere to normal throwing mechanics.

Mahomes had to wait one year to assume the reins of the Chiefs air attack but has rocketed to NFL super-stardom in his short stint due in no short measure to his team’s success in reaching the AFC Championship during his first year. When comparing the two men it is important to discuss their similarities but also to address their differences.

Mahomes has been prolific through three games, passing for 1,195 yards and ten touchdowns while completing 71.9 percent of his passes. Not only is he averaging almost four hundred yards per contest (398.3) but he has zero interceptions in an average 38 attempts per game. It’s easy to see why he has garnered a 99 Madden rating from EA Sports.

Dan Orlovsky, a former Lions quarterback who is an analyst for ESPN, rightly pointed out on ESPN’s NFL Live that the sidearm throws and releasing the ball from every platform is a skill that Matthew Stafford has exhibited since 2009. Yet, many observers chided Stafford for not using proper form when he did those same things.

Stafford has had a good start to 2019, throwing for 831 yards, six touchdowns versus only two interceptions, and completing 62.6 percent of his passes. Although the completion percentage is lower than normal for Stafford he has been consistently between 65 to 67 percent since 2015.

The Lions signal-caller has averaged about 36 attempts per game this season, partly a reflection on the Lions run game which has been in the bottom half of the league, averaging 98.7 yards per game which is good for eighteenth of the thirty-two teams. In particular, Stafford has been inconsistent and not as accurate (only hitting 35.3 percent) on his throws after his thirty-first attempt.

Given those factors and the success that Patrick Mahomes has had this year, we can see that it may be a good idea to attack the Kansas City Chiefs using the run game since they are ranked twenty-seventh against the run giving up 137.7 yards per contest so far. They are nineteenth against the pass, on average allowing 258.0 yards. Altogether, both teams are more proficient offensively than defensively.

Another motivational factor is that the Green Bay Packers, who were leading the division with a 3-0 record, fell to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, opening the door for the Lions to take the division lead for themselves if they can wrest a win from their Sunday opponent.

The Detroit Lions pass defense is 22nd and the rush defense is also 22nd in yards allowed but they still only allow 20.3 points per game which is good for the twelfth in the NFL. Patricia defenses have often been like this, as well, giving up yards but not many points.

Let’s hope that stays true against the big-play offense of the Chiefs. Aside from Mahomes, they have Sammy Watkins, Travis Kelce, Demarcus Robinson, LeSean McCoy, and rookie speedster Mecole Hardman. How do you see Sunday’s game going? What is your score prediction? Sound off in the comments section below.