Detroit Lions: With Latest Loss, Is It Time to Label Matthew Stafford a Bust?

Matthew Stafford has had an interesting NFL career to this point. A former No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Lions in 2009, Stafford battled arm injuries and ineffectiveness, and he was already labeled by some as a bust. 

However, he has put it together recently and is statistically one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Stafford is one of only five quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, which he did in 2011, and he has thrown for at least 4,000 yards in each of his four full professional years.

On paper, Stafford has had four consecutive terrific seasons, but he has proven repeatedly that he cannot win big games. Last week, with the NFC North championship on the line, Stafford completed less than half of his passes (20-of-41) in a tough loss to the Packers.

And then on Sunday, against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Stafford led the  Lions to only three second-half points en route to a demoralizing 24-20 loss.

With that loss in Dallas, Stafford now has a paltry 3-32 career record against teams with a winning record. Even worse, he is 0-18 against winning teams on the road. That stat is excruciatingly painful to even think about, as Stafford seems to be incapable of beating good teams. 

In past years, Detroit was a team that aired it out on offense because it had a terrible defense and no true running threat. But now, the Lions have Joique Bell and Reggie Bush running the ball and one of the best defenses in the league, especially against the run.

It is hard to fathom how the Lions have not won a playoff game since 1991, but recently it has been because of a quarterback who can’t win big games. Sure, Stafford can rack up passing yards better than anyone, but he has not proven to be a winner.

His arm strength has never been questioned, but his decision-making has been suspect throughout his career. However, he threw a career-low 12 interceptions in 2014, so maybe he is still improving at the age of 26.

It is for this reason that it is impossible to call Stafford a bust at this point. His lack of production in big games is undoubtedly mind-boggling, but he has so much talent that there is still hope he can develop into a star. 

Stafford’s opponent on Sunday, Tony Romo, is often criticized for his proclivity of late-game interceptions in big games, yet Stafford has been even worse than Romo.

But it should be known that Stafford is still growing as a quarterback and has a bright future in front of him. The Lions won 11 games this year—the most in Stafford’s career—so there might be more success in Detroit on the horizon.

All in all, Stafford is not a bust. Yet. If he goes one or two more seasons without winning a playoff game with plenty of weapons around him, there will be palpable dissonance within the organization and the fanbase, and Stafford will always be thought of as a player with tons of talent who could never really put it all together.