Matthew Stafford Benched for Dan Orlovsky: Latest Comments and Reaction

The nadir of Matthew Stafford's professional career is here. The Detroit Lions starter was benched in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals in favor of Dan Orlovsky after throwing three interceptions.

Stafford, 27, was 20-of-32 for 188 yards and a touchdown against his three picks. The team benched him after he tossed his third pick to Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, which led to an Arizona touchdown. The Cardinals were ahead 35-7 at the time of Stafford's benching, so it's likely preserving his health had as much to do with the move as his performance.

That said, Kyle Meinke of MLive Media Group noted the Ford Field crowd did not care what the reasoning was:

It's quite the statement on Stafford that Lions fans would cheer Orlovsky. The former UConn star is in his second stint in a Lions uniform, the first becoming infamous after he stepped out of the back of the end zone during the team's 0-16 campaign in 2008. Before Sunday, Orlovsky had not thrown an NFL pass since the 2012 season.

The Lions, playoff-bound a year ago, have started 0-5 for the first time since that winless season. Stafford has been a major part of the problem, throwing eight interceptions while struggling to make plays down the field. He had not completed a pass of longer than 36 yards all season before connecting with Corey Fuller on a 48-yarder earlier Sunday.

"There's really no excuse for this one, " said Stafford after the game, via the Lions.

Still, despite all of his struggles, no one thought Stafford would reach got-benched-for-Orlovsky bad. Changes—big ones—might be needed in Detroit.   

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.