Day 102

Fresh Start_102: Write in Stafford
Stafford isn’t the sexiest pick for MVP this season, but it isn’t unconceivable to think Stafford gets MVP votes at the end of the season. His team is the division leader on the NFC North with a 7-4 record and are 2-2 in the division. After a dramatic win on Thanksgiving day against the Vikings. That win gives Lion fans hope that their defense is getting better and becoming a fraction of what they were under Jim Schwartz a couple of years ago.

Matthew Stafford has his highest completion percentage of his career at 68%, while also having his highest QBR at 99.6. This is the first year without Calvin Johnson, allowing Stafford to become more of a complete Quarterback. There have been no questions about his toughness or his will to win, but it has been magnified this year. In every game but the Thanksgiving win, the Lions have trailed in every fourth quarter they have played and they have 7 wins. It is an interesting stat and speaks to their defense, but Stafford has lead 6 fourth quarter comeback wins this season and has righted the ship through everything that the team has faced this season.

Stafford was the first overall pick following the historic 0-16 season and was the player that was supposed to lead them out of the darkness. It has taken a while, but in his 8th season, the future looks bright for this team. Stafford has been able to stand alone on the team and be the face of the franchise. Stafford is in the top 12 in every single quarterback category this season and sneaking into the conversation of the MVP. Will Stafford win the MVP, probably not, but not to put him on the ballot because of the team he is on, is absolutely ridiculous. I can compare this MVP race to the American League Cy Young award in baseball. Matthew Stafford in this case is the Justin Verlander of the NFL. The Tigers were not the division leader, but single handily brought the Tigers back into the playoff picture for baseball. The Detroit Lions are the division leader and are in the driver seat for that division. The Lions can host a playoff game and with the offense, they could possibly win more than one playoff game this year.

On top of all the mayhem on the Lions, the number one concern for this team is the rushing attack. The Lions have no ground game at the moment and they are still at the top of the division. They beat a good defense in Minnesota on Thanksgiving and all of the cards were against Detroit and somehow pulled the win out of nowhere. It is impressive to see the play of Matthew Stafford week in and week out and I wouldn’t sleep on him in the MVP race. He is the player that deserves more credit than he gets and it is an absolute disgrace that he is under look for the season that he is putting together. Call me crazy, but I would put Stafford on my ballot and it is rightfully owned.
Sources:(nfl.com, espn.com)

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