As the Detroit Lions season continues to spiral out of control, has Matthew Stafford’s value ever been more glaringly obvious to this franchise and fanbase?
The 2019 NFL season has not gone the way the Detroit Lions expected. The team, players and fans all expected much more. Playoffs might have been in the forecast after nearly beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4.
The beginning of the year schedule was supposed to be the tough part for this Lions team. Then injuries hit both sides of the ball. But nothing hurt more than when Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was forced to miss games. His active starting streak was snapped, much like a few bones in his back. And his value to this franchise has never been more obvious.
What happened in the wake of Stafford’s injury gave fans hope for a minute or two. Lions backup quarterback Jeff Driskel was off and running for a few games posting 37, 51 and 63 rushing yards in each of his three games as a starter. Once again, injuries struck.
Next man up, right? Lions third-string quarterback David Blough came out slinging it on Thanksgiving with a 75-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kenny Golladay. He soon followed it up with an eight-yard strike to wide receiver Marvin Jones before going silent the rest of the game, aside from an interception with less than two minutes remaining.
What does that mean for the team? They have two backup quarterbacks that can keep them in the game in different ways. Driskel is a threat with his legs, Blough is serviceable through the air. That’s about it. Nothing too exciting other than decent backups.
These backups could have won a game or two. Both games against the Chicago Bears were winnable. The Washington Redskins game slipped away and the team gave the Dallas Cowboys a run for their money. We’re not talking high-flying, playoff-caliber competition here, but very winnable games.
Looking at the plays that were made and the plays that were left on the field, it leaves one to wonder, “What if Stafford were on the field?” What if this team’s leader were out there battling and inciting hunger in his teammates to pull out a victory?
Stafford was on fire 2,499 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. The team was 3-4-1 at the time of his injury and not out of playoff contention. Looking at the close games listed above, the Detroit Lions record could easily be 7-5-1 right now. And the Minnesota Vikings weren’t even that impressive on Sunday.
Alas, we’re playing the game of “if this” and “if that” right now. The reality is this Detroit Lions team is limping into the offseason with another losing record and high draft pick. A single top-five draft pick won’t fix this team. They miss their leader and it’s never been more glaringly obvious.