Matthew Stafford's Mental Progress Gives the Detroit Lions a Real Chance

Nobody has ever questioned Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford for his physical talents. The mental side of his game, on the other hand, has always been a point of contention. 

In Detroit's 34-14 opening win on Monday Night Football, Stafford demonstrated that his brain is finally catching up with his right arm. 

It's easy to look at some of the spectacular throws:

• The 67-yard touchdown strike to a wide open Calvin Johnson after artfully dodging a pass-rusher while rolling to his right
• The second touchdown to Johnson, this time rolling to his left and placing the ball where it was either going to be a touchdown or an incompletion
• The third-down, zone-busting laser to Golden Tate that kick-started the struggling offense in the second half

Those all made the highlight video. Yet we've seen various incarnations of impressive throws throughout his NFL career. Being able to whip the ball with rare velocity into rapidly closing windows is what intrigued the Lions enough to make Stafford the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. 

The issue has always been the plays that aren't on highlight reels. One of his best plays came on his first incompletion of the game.

With 2nd-and-13 from the New York 16, Stafford came under a little pressure as he surveyed his targets.

Tate was briefly open in the left slot, but both Stafford's primary (Johnson split wide right) and secondary (Reggie Bush in the right slot) options were nicely covered by the Giants secondary.

Instead of trying to rifle the ball into Bush, or squeeze a risky throw into Johnson and forcing his great wideout to make a very difficult play, Stafford coolly threw the ball 10 yards out of bounds and well over everyone's heads. 

In the past, his instincts often trumped his judgment. Throwing this ball away instead of trying to strong-arm it into a tiny window represents real maturity and progress. The football world noticed.

"

Matthew Stafford is doing this new thing where you don't throw interceptions when no one's open.

— Robert Klemko (@RobertKlemko) September 9, 2014"

Earlier in the same series, he quickly went through three progressions and safely completed a pass to Brandon Pettigrew instead of forcing it into coverage. 

"

Matthew Stafford handling pressure and moving around in the pocket in first two drives...that's something new.

— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) September 8, 2014"

He kept up his headiness throughout the game, which is a very welcome development. Stafford has a rather inglorious history of making poor decisions, often at the most inopportune times. 

This problem plagued the Lions down the stretch last season. Stafford's decision making and poor performance during critical junctures of games was a major catalyst behind Detroit's collapse from 6-3 to 7-9. 

The Lions held a fourth-quarter lead in every one of those losses. Stafford was at his worst in the final stanza, notably during the winless December. His quarter by quarter splits in 2013 paint a grim picture.

Quarter	Comp. %	QB Rating	TD	INT	Sacked
1st	64.1	89.0	4	2	5
2nd	56.6	81.9	9	6	6
3rd	60.5	86.1	7	5	5
4th	54.1	81.5	9	6	7

Detroit held a comfortable lead against the Giants entering the fourth quarter, but New York trimmed the deficit to 27-14 with an impressive touchdown drive early in the final stanza.

The Ford Field faithful felt some nerves, as if last year's bad movie was coming back as an unwanted sequel. Stafford had missed five throws in a row, including two potential touchdown strikes that were rare misfires on the night. 

Not this time. Stafford led the Lions on a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that completely salted away the victory. He completed three passes in a row, two to Johnson and one to Tate, setting up Joique Bell's touchdown run from three yards out. 

The final line, which earned him a nomination for FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week, almost looks too good to be true for skeptical Lions fans:

Comp./Att.	Yards	TD	INT	QB Rating
22/32	346	2	0	125.3

It's okay to still have some reservations. Stafford has teased with his exceptional skills before, only to let fans down akin to getting tube socks for Christmas instead of a new smartphone. Still, there is a different feel to this one...

"

This is probably the best that I've seen from Stafford. Great decisions and was smart with the ball

— BeastMode (@BeastFBall) September 9, 2014"

Will this time be different?

We will find out for sure over the next few weeks, but the maturity Stafford showed in the Giants game was also evident in the preseason. He looks comfortable and empowered in the new offense. 

Maybe, just maybe, Stafford's mental game has finally caught up to his physical ability.