2017 Week 1 Sunday Game Ball

2017 Week 1 Sunday Game Ball
With the Sunday Night game winding down, it is time to give my first Sunday game ball of the year. However, to be honest, the games that were played throughout Sunday weren’t really that good. Aside from Atlanta sacking Mike Glennon on the last play to save the game for the Falcons, the shootout in Detroit, and that weird game in our Nation’s Capital, football was a snooze fest today.

You don’t believe me? The Jets-Bills, Panthers-9’ers, Jags-Texans, and the two big wastes of time the Packers-Seahawks game, and of course the Giants-Cowboys game. Seriously, if you didn’t have the Redzone channel, today was such a boring day of football. I mean it was fun because Week 1 but once that glittery bow was torn off, the product on the field was just on par with 2016. Hopefully this will change in Week 2 with the Prime-Time games, because if it doesn’t I feel just jump down deep fantasy football rabbit holes, buy the Redzone channel on my phone, and enjoy watching my Jets lose by 20 points—being the happiest NFL fan I can be.

But, enough with how bad the league was today (I’ll continue that in a different article) on to the positives. The aforementioned shootout game in Detroit showcased the highest paid player in all of football Matthew Stafford. And, just like Kareem Hunt’s first NFL carry, Stafford’s first pass as the highest paid player didn’t go as planned. The $135 Million Man threw a pick-6 on his first pass from scrimmage. AND, just like Kareem Hunt three days before him, Stafford used that as fuel to have a fantastic game, thus getting the first Sunday game ball of 2017. Stafford went 29/41 for 292 yards, 4 touchdowns, and that one pick we just talked about. Stafford game back from a 10-0 first quarter deficit, a 17-9 3rd quarter deficit, to lead the Lions to a 20-point 4th quarter to bring home Detroit’s first win, and continuing the trend from last year—coming from behind.


A lot of people throw out the nickname “The Comeback Kid” but that exactly what Matthew Stafford is. In every sense of the word, he is absolute money when he is trailing. It almost seems like Stafford prefers to down in ball games, just so he can will his team back into the game. Many thought, myself included, that there was no way the Lions late game heroics could transfer over to 2017—but so far in the 2017 season they have. The Lions cannot be taken lightly, and especially if they are trailing. Furthermore, I think there is a serious chip on Stafford’s shoulder. Not only does he have to prove that he is worth that big price tag, but he has to prove that he can lead Detroit to the playoffs, and maybe the only way to back-up that price tag—win an MVP. We will see, because there is a lot of football to be played, I mean Jared Goff almost won my game ball today, seriously… well not really but going 21/29 for 306 yards and a score in a 46-9 rout of the Colts gets you as close as you can be if you’re Jared Goff. Sorry, maybe someday… 

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