Stafford Plays His Best Game Of The Season; 'He's Our Guy'
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
Before Sunday, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford hadn't broken 300 yards passing, or thrown more than two touchdowns in a game, all season.
But against the Bears, he doubled his touchdowns, throwing four, and added 391 net passing yards. Most importantly, he only threw one interception. Before Sunday, Stafford was on pace to throw the most picks in his career in a single season.
"I can't say it enough that Matt had a hell of a game, man," said wide receiver Lance Moore, who caught five passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. "He stood in there, he took some shots, he delivered the ball and guys made plays for him."
Stafford's offensive line, which has seen its fair share of criticism this season, only allowed two sacks last night. Even when rushers did get through, Stafford was better at evading them than he has been all year, including once where he avoided pressure and slung a touchdown pass into a tight window for tight end Tim Wright.
Stafford also put up a season-high 37 yards on the ground. On one play, he went full Russell Wilson and drove through several defenders for an 11-yard gain.
"He broke down the huddle, he was the guy that was getting everyone fired up and everyone kind of rallied behind him," Moore said. "He's our guy. There's a reason why he's here. There's a reason why he's one of the top-paid guys in the business because he's one of the best, and he definitely played a heck of a game today."
Stafford, for once, had a lot of help. The run game was at least moderately competent, a far cry from what they've put together the rest of the season. Detroit ran for 155 rushing yards to complement its 391 through the air. And the team finally reconnected with the deep ball, including the 57-yard bomb to Calvin Johnson that set up Matt Prater's game-winning field goal in overtime.
"Our guys did a good job of giving me enough time and our guys downfield made some plays, some catch-and-runs, some big plays of that nature," Stafford said. "We had a big one to Theo (Riddick). I threw it four yards and he made a bunch of dudes miss and made a big play. So, it doesn't always have to be a 50-yards-in-the-air kind of ball, rarely is it. It's more so guys making plays and those guys are big-time play makers and we got them the ball today."
Stafford has dealt with harsh criticism all year from fans and media, as he's been on pace statistically to have one of the worst years of his career. As a former No. 1 draft pick in 2009, the quarterback has always had heavy expectations on his shoulders, and this season has frequently looked like the year where fans have given up.
"I love my quarterback," Lions safety Glover Quin said, channeling his inner Terrell Owens. "I stand behind him 100 percent. He fought through a lot. He didn't let it deter him. We told him we had his back, we were fighting for him and he played a heck of a game today."