Matthew Stafford Becomes Fastest in NFL History to Reach 25K Passing Yards

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has had an up-and-down season, but his career is off to a staggering statistical start. 

According to NFL Network on Twitter, Stafford became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 25,000 passing yards during Detroit's Week 14 clash with the St. Louis Rams. It took him 90 games to reach the hallowed mark—two fewer than Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino needed. 

Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning sit in a tie for third after each esteemed signal-caller needed 97 games to cross the 25,000-yard threshold. 

Stafford's career got off to a shaky start, but he's been one of the league's most prolific passers since making his return from season-ending shoulder surgery in 2011. 

Dating back to 2011, he hasn't thrown for fewer than 4,000 yards in a season—although that streak is in jeopardy as the clock winds down on the Lions' 2015 campaign. Nonetheless, Stafford's raw yardage totals have been nothing short of spectacular. 

In 2011, Stafford attempted a league-high 663 passes for 5,038 yards, 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The following year, he completed an NFL-best 435 passes for 4,967 yards, 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions as Calvin Johnson set the league's single-season receiving record (1,964 yards). 

Stafford's pure passing totals have dipped since then, but his completion percentage has ticked up as Detroit has attempted to discover more offensive balance. 

And while his 2015 season got off to a slow start, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions during the Lions' 1-6 start, he's rebounded nicely under Cooter's tutelage. 

"I'm hopeful and I think that his comfort level is increasing," Cooter said, per the Detroit News' Josh Katzenstein. "I think he's comfortable with the plays that are getting called; he's comfortable with his progressions and his thought processes in these plays. I think he's making better and better decisions every week."

Entering Sunday, Stafford had totaled 10 touchdowns and three interceptions since Cooter took over for Joe Lombardi following a 28-19 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. 

"The relationship lends credence to the argument the offense truly might be evolving, not just getting hot in one game," the Detroit News' Bob Wojnowski wrote following the Lions' Thanksgiving obliteration of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Stafford should have plenty of chances to pad his stats further against the New Orleans Saints' woeful secondary when the two sides meet at the Superdome in Week 15. 

Although it hasn't always been pretty, Stafford's voluminous offerings have made the Lions one of the NFL's most entertaining clubs over the past few seasons.