Matthew Stafford is coming off arguably his worst season in his 10-year NFL career. One area where Stafford really fell off for the Lions in 2018 was when the offense operated without a huddle. Where the Lions longtime QB had historically thrived, he struggled last season under now-fired OC Jim Bob Cooter.
Where No. 9 had consistently been a more productive, more efficient force throughout his career, Stafford bombed in 2018.
Here are the full splits between the Lions offense in huddle vs. no-huddle situations, courtesy of Pro Football Reference. Note that these do include backup Matt Cassel’s 17 passing attempts as well.
Now compare that production and rating to Stafford’s splits in huddle vs. no huddle in 2017, which are far more typical of his career performance:
Focus on the TD/INT rate. Stafford plunged from 11 TDs/1 INT to just 1 TD and 4 INTs. His adjusted net yards per attempt (ANY/A) in 2018 was less than half of what it was in 2017.
Some of the precipitous declines can be blamed on the diminished receiving corps. Losing Eric Ebron (cut), Golden Tate (traded midseason) and Marvin Jones (injured midseason) dramatically impacted the receiving options for Stafford.
The offensive scheme going away from the previously successful no-huddle and tempo — from over 30 percent of snaps to less than 10 percent — did not help either. However, Stafford shoulders the bulk of the blame. He simply wasn’t very good in 2018 in situations where he has typically thrived in the rest of his recent career.
