For a guy who was on the doubtful side of questionable for the game with a rib injury and ligament issue in his throwing thumb, Matthew Stafford played a heck of a game for the Detroit Lions. Stafford offered up a heroic effort through the pain, playing great in the Lions’ 46-25 loss in Tennessee.
Stafford completed 22 of his 32 passes, netting 252 yards and throwing one touchdown. At least two of the incompletions were drops by receivers. No. 9 even extended a drive with a 12-yard scamper that set up a Detroit touchdown.
As Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell said after the game, Stafford deserves the praise for his toughness and ability to play at a high level through the pain.
“I mean. the way that he leads his teammates. I mean, his guys want to go out there and fight for a guy like that. He’s laying it all on the line, giving it everything he has, and I just applaud him for it, Bevell said.
Never question Matthew Stafford’s toughness. Instead, question why the Lions played him for so long in the game, and why they would play him again this season now that the playoff dreams are officially over.
Stafford acknowledged how much he’s hurting in his own postgame press conference.
“But yeah, I mean, I didn’t, I did not feel good enough at all on Wednesday or Thursday or Tuesday or any of those days,” he said. “So just glad it kind of turned the corner for me and I just want to go out there and try and help us win.”
His heroism is unbridled, as is his pain tolerance. But for what end for the team?
There is no reason to play Stafford in the final two weeks other than the tacit acknowledgment that backup Chase Daniel can’t play. His body of work speaks for itself for the eventual new head coach and GM.
The Lions aren’t worthy of Stafford’s blood, sweat and tears of frustration in the final two weeks. He has nothing left to prove and only more body parts to injure in largely meaningless games.
