Jim Bob Cooter, Improved Stafford Give Lions Optimism After 3rd Straight Win

After losing four straight to open up their 2015 season, the Detroit Lions are back on track. The Lions extended their winning streak out to three games after their 45-14 rout over the Philadelphia Eagles.

This task was accomplished thanks in no small part to the play of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Stafford completed 71.1 percent of his 38 pass attempts for 337 yards and five touchdowns, and led the Lions offensive attack. The quarterback was responsible for a whopping 81 percent of the Lions' total yardage and all but one of the team's touchdowns.

This should come as no surprise to anyone following the Lions closely over their last three games, where Stafford has been highly productive.

Opponent	Attempts	Completions	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Passer Rating	Rushing Yards	Rushing Touchdowns
@Green Bay	38	24	242	2	1	87.8	1	0
vs. Oakland	35	22	282	0	0	88.0	31	1
vs. Philadelphia	38	27	337	5	0	137.8	13	0

Stafford has shown steady improvement over his last three games, and it culminated in what was easily his best performance of 2015. The University of Georgia product set season highs in touchdowns, completion percentage and passer rating, and he spread the ball around the field masterfully.

Stafford and the lions consistently took shots down the field, and the veteran QB averaged a whopping 8.87 passing yards per attempt.

That stat points to more than just Stafford's impressive arm strength and ability, though, and shows that the team—and more specifically offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter—has opened up the playbook and is getting more aggressive in its play-calling.

Prior to Cooter's assuming the position of offensive coordinator, the team struggled with Joe Lombardi in that position, and the Lions offense was stagnant. Stafford had eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark just one time in the team's first 10 contests.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press/Associated Press

In years past, this was a semiregular occurrence for Stafford, as he passed for over 300 yards six and four times in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

To accomplish this feat, Cooter has opened up the playbook and gotten more pieces of the offense involved. This was evident in the team's Week 12 win over the Eagles, where Stafford hit eight different receivers with passes.

The most notable uptick in production came from Calvin Johnson, who had managed to eclipse the 100-yard mark in just one of his first 10 contests. Though he didn't accomplish that feat on Thursday, Johnson did rack up 93 yards on eight receptions.

More important for the Lions was the fact that Johnson found the end zone three times, doubling his touchdown total for the season.

In addition to their success in the passing game, the Lions finally broke through in the ground game. Over the course of their tilt against the Eagles, five different Lions players logged rushing attempts, and the team rushed for 100-plus yards for the just the third time this season.

One area in which the offense struggled over the early stages of the season was in getting Ameer Abdullah going. Prior to this week, the second-round selection out of Nebraska had struggled and was seemingly absent from the team's weekly game plan.

Thursday, Cooter placed added emphasis on getting Abdullah involved early and often, as the rookie back received 17 touches, gaining 63 yards on 16 carries and 12 yards on one reception.

It was a complete effort on offense, but Stafford and Cooter were clearly the stars of this one. Cooter, over the last four weeks, has gotten the offense back up to par, and Stafford finally looks like his normal self.

While they currently sit 2.5 games back of the sixth and final playoff spot in the NFC, this was a statement win for the Lions. The team put forth a complete effort—it held the Eagles to a paltry 227 yards of total offense—and bulldozed Philadelphia en route to its third consecutive win.

Next week, the Lions will look to continue their winning ways in a matchup with the division rival Green Bay Packers.

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