Detroit Lions: Rating Matthew Stafford's Performance in Week 1 Win

News flash: Matthew Stafford is a star quarterback in the NFL.

After his dominating week one performance, the season looks very bright for the young star and the Detroit Lions.  The Lions sure lived up to their preseason hype as they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-20, and Stafford was a huge part of that victory.

Let's see how Stafford really did as I break down his week one performance.

The Numbers

Matthew Stafford's final line was 24 completions on 33 attempts for 305 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.  That is a 72.7 completion percentage, 12.7 yards per catch and 9.2 yards per attempt.  His quarterback rating was a stellar 118.9.

His quarterback rating is good for fourth in the league. His completion percentage stands third.

Ability to Spread the Ball

Matthew Stafford played like a savvy veteran and was getting everybody involved the whole game. 

He completed passes to Calvin Johnson six times, Nate Burleson five times and Brandon Pettigrew and Jahvid Best four each.  For the game, Stafford spread the ball around and hit a total of eight different receivers.

Calvin Johnson caught two of Stafford's three touchdowns, and Tony Scheffler scored the other.

The Negatives

Matthew Stafford started off the game hot by leading the Lions to a 12-play, 76-yard scoring drive. However, he showed some rust on the very next drive.

Stafford threw a bad pass to Will Heller, and Tampa Bay cornerback Aqib Talib returned it 28 yards for a touchdown.  This was one of the few mistakes Stafford made in the game, but he shook it off and led the Lions to a 70-yard scoring drive right after he threw the pick. 

The next offensive possession was stuffed by the Bucs, as two offensive penalties and two Stafford incompletions led to a three and out. Again, Stafford bounced back on the next drive, going 4-of-4 for 75 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown to Calvin Johnson. 

This shows veteran leadership as Stafford shook off bad drives multiple times but on the ensuing possession responded with a score.

Getting Hot and Staying Hot

After the drive in which Matthew Stafford threw two incomplete passes and the Lions went three and out, he got hot.

During the next three Lions possessions, Stafford completed 13 straight passes for 189 yards and led the Lions to three touchdowns, all through the air.  Can you say domination?

Overall Performance

This was another game in the record books where Matthew Stafford completed it and came out with a victory.  There was a point in the game that he was on the sidelines with cramps, but he never missed a play and all in all had a great game. 

If Stafford can play like he did against the Buccaneers, he and the Lions will have a great season and we will see them in the playoffs. 

It is easy to give him an "A" grade for this game. We will see if he will repeat next week at his home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, who got blown out by the Buffalo Bills and will come out with a vengeance.