How much does Matthew Stafford have left in the tank?

Offense leads the way

The Detroit Lions were a team of promise heading into the season. Everyone was optimistic about the defense which had finished strong last year, ranking number 10 overall. With the continued improvement we all expected, this unit would help carry the offense as it learned Darrell Bevell’s system.

For the first time in Matthew Stafford’s career, he was given extra days off during training camp and only saw action in one exhibition game. There would be no way the offense would be ready for the season opener in Arizona.

Yet somehow, Matthew was in complete control of the offense against the Cardinals, despite the rest of the unit not being quite as cohesive. When the defense collapsed in the fourth quarter, Matthew was able to help the Lions salvage a tie against the lowly Cardinals and their rookie quarterback as we watched a precursor of the Lions 2019 season.

For eight games Matthew played at a near MVP level and the offense carried this team as much as they could. Meanwhile, the defense played with less efficiency than a Pop Warner team. The last-second loss to Oakland dropped the Lions record to 3-4-1. One week later, early in the morning before the Lions would square off against the Bears in Chicago, it was officially announced that Matthew Stafford would not play.

A season that was marred with the question of ‘can the defense be fixed?’, turned into a disaster along the lines of the Titanic. These Lions can’t play defense and now the offense won’t have Stafford to at least try to outscore their opponents.

The season was considered to be over by the media and many fans. For once the Lions haven’t proven anyone wrong.

So it cannot help but be pondered how much Matthew has left in the tank. In football years he is a veteran who has put his body on the line for over a decade. That’s a lot of physical play that has taken a toll. Yet he has proven this year that he can still play at a high level.

The only real question is; how long his body will allow him to play at that level?