It’s funny that there’s a narrative out there that Matthew Stafford can’t win a big game on the road. There are plenty of flaws with that “stat” and the first one is that, no matter what the sport, pinning a loss on one player is asinine; especially in the NFL. I mean, look at the Los Angeles Chargers and Philip Rivers this season as he has put them in position to win two important games, and both were wiped away by a missed field goal. The other flaw with the “games won against winning teams” stat is that it counts as the team’s record at the END OF THE SEASON, and not when the said player (Stafford) played them. For example, if the Detroit Lions were to beat the Atlanta Falcons next week, that would be a win against a winning team, right? Well, if in some crazy world the Falcons finished the season with a losing record, then that would not be chalked up as a win on Stafford’s resume against winning teams. So, the point is, that statistic is stupid, flawed, horrible, and pick any other adjective that best fits you.
But, let’s get back to the “big games” narrative.
Matthew Stafford won a big game last night, on the road, against a team with their backs against the wall with a proven legitimate defense.
Why was last night considered a big game, you may ask? There are several reasons, for both sides. Let’s start with the losers, the New York Giants. They lost to Dallas last week in a pitiful offensive performance where they could not muster one touchdown. They get to return to New York for their home opener where they were honoring their 2007 Super Bowl Championship team, and Odell Beckham Jr returning from injury meaning the crowd was going to be AMPED. They CANNOT fall to 0-2 because according to Odds Shark, since 2007, 83 teams have started 0-2 and only NINE of those teams went on to make the playoffs, which equals a 9 percent chance. Long story short, the Giants HAD to win that game last night, or their season was (now is) essentially over.
For the Lions? They were traveling to a hostile environment against a defense that looks to be one of the best units in football. Not really an easy task, Oh yeah, they play the Falcons next week too, so a loss to New York could easily set you up to start the season at 1-2, which isn’t necessarily the start an NFL team wants. The Lions were three point UNDERDOGS and it was another chance for Stafford to win a meaningful game on the road. As you all know, Stafford made a number of plays in the first half, as he kept a handful of plays alive single handedly by using his mobility. He threw two touchdown passes, and had the Lions up 17-7 at the half. The defense was phenomenal again, and the Lions had more rushing yards than passing yards at the end of the game (!!!) It was a total team effort.
I’m not saying the Giants are world-beaters, they’re not. They’ll probably win 7 games this year and maybe even less. But the general consensus was the Lions were going to lost that game on prime time, because that’s just what they do. It’s really an amazing concept though: Stafford plays very well, the rest of the team plays well, and they come away with an easy victory. Matthew Stafford and the Lions won a big game last night. That was a big game, and an even bigger win.
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