Throughout this week, we are going to go through the 10 plays (with some liberties for moments) that shaped the 2015 season for the Detroit Lions.
See the complete list as it is unveiled here.
The play: Arizona was in the midst of blowing out Detroit, up 28-3 early in the third quarter, when the Lions went for it on a fourth-and-3 from the Arizona 45-yard line. Matthew Stafford threw the ball on a deep route along the sideline to Calvin Johnson. Patrick Peterson read the play well and intercepted Stafford -- the third time he was picked off as the Cardinals smashed the Lions, 42-17.
The situation: Stafford and the Lions had a horrific day in every facet against the Cardinals. Stafford had thrown two first-half interceptions and looked out of sync with the rest of the offense. Yet when Stafford walked off the field after the third interception, there wasn’t the thought he’d be replaced for performance. Then Dan Orlovsky started warming up and finished the game. Stafford completed 20 of 32 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Orlovsky completed 21 of 38 passes for 191 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The reason it mattered: There are multiple reasons why this play and situation mattered. First, it led to questions the rest of the season of whether or not Stafford should be the quarterback of the future for the Lions. He answered that the rest of the year with a fairly definitive yes. Second, it showed just how out of sorts the Lions' offense was as absolutely nothing was working for an 0-4 team that consistently said it was better than its record. Third, it was the low point of the season for Detroit as it dropped to 0-5, the last winless team in the NFL. Fourth, it allowed for the open questioning of Jim Caldwell’s job security (he was retained) and the relationship between Stafford and Caldwell (it’s been repaired) and Stafford and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi (the offense never got corrected).
How Stafford’s season fared: For the entire season, Stafford was 398-of-592 for 4,262 yards, 32 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, a 67.2 completion percentage and a 97.0 passer rating. The benching was a turnaround for Stafford, though. After being sat down for the first time in his career, Stafford completed 68.5 percent of his passes (272-of-397), threw for 3,057 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions. He threw multiple touchdowns in all but two of the final 11 games and had seven games with a passer rating over 100. He also went 7-4 after the benching. Prior to the benching, Stafford completed 64.6 percent of his passes (126-of-195) for 1,205 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions in five games.
What Matthew Stafford said about his confidence after the benching: “Right where it’s always been, honestly. Can’t say it wasn’t frustrating and it wasn’t difficult. There’s no question on that. But confidence in my ability to play? I’ve never lost that.”
What Jim Caldwell said about the benching: "Really, it's like a pitcher not having a very good day. The pitcher comes out, and the pitcher, obviously, he's still the starter. He's still our starter. There will be no issues there, so there is no quarterback controversy or anything of that nature. But I know one thing. We've got to get better. This was poor, just not the kind of outing that we'd like to see around here."