Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford Is Playing More Intelligent Football

By Travis Newville @travisto989 on October 29, 2014

Matthew Stafford is not statistically playing the best football of his career, but that is quite alright. It could be due to a number of factors. The Detroit Lions have not exactly been healthy on offense, and Stafford is taking more sacks than normal. The biggest improvement in Stafford’s play, however, has been his higher intelligence.

In past seasons, Stafford loved to find Calvin Johnson down the field. It didn’t matter how many people covered Johnson, because Stafford had confidence that he would be bailed out by another amazing catch. This approach helped the Lions come from behind to beat a good Dallas Cowboys team, but it also helped them drop a few games with last-minute interceptions.

Johnson has not been fully healthy in quite a few weeks, and it may have forced Stafford into playing a smarter game. Although some fans now criticize the Lions’ offense heavily, maybe Stafford is taking the right approach after all. The Lions are 3-0 this season when Stafford does not throw any interceptions, and that is not a coincidence.

Stafford has already shown the world that he can lead a comeback victory with the best of them. The last two weeks saw Stafford and the Lions come from behind to take a game that they easily could have lost. In crunch time, Stafford really takes control of the offense and makes every play count.

Their bye week could not have come at a better time. It gives the Lions a chance to heal and regroup on offense. Stafford will also have a chance to come back from the bye week with a win against the Miami Dolphins. It is only a matter of time before Stafford does have a breakout game, and he won’t need to lead a comeback.

When the Lions return to action in Week 10, they will have a lot of their starters on offense back. Brandon Pettigrew, Joseph Fauria, Eric Ebron, Reggie Bush, LaAdrian Waddle and of course Megatron will all be returning to the Lions’ offense.

Travis Newville is a Detroit Lions writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @travisto989, or Like him on Facebook here. Add him to your Google network.