*Originally published on Aug. 21, 2020
In 2019, Matthew Stafford was on pace to toss for just shy of 5,000 yards and a whopping 38 touchdowns for the Detroit Lions before he was forced to miss the final eight games of the season with a broken back.
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Though Stafford believed he could have come back before the conclusion of the season, the Lions made the decision to shut him down. As we know, the Lions lost all eight games Stafford missed on way to a 3-12-1 record.
On Friday, Stafford joined the crew on Good Morning Football and he talked about how though he did not want to miss the entire second half of the season, it helped him realize how much he loves football and how it tore him up to not be on the field with his teammates for the second half of the season. In fact, Stafford said he thought he was going to be back for the Lions Thanksgiving matchup against the Chicago Bears.
“It feels great,” Stafford said about his back. “Hated missing time. Had to let it heal but didn't want to. I learned probably the most about just how much I love the game,” “It had been eight or so years since I missed one. It tore me up when I couldn't be out there. I remember thinking I was going to play that week against Chicago. Right before the game, I got the news that I wasn't going to be to able to and it beat me up pretty good.”
Personally, I expect Stafford to ball out in 2020 and if the defense can be formidable, it could be a special season.
NOTE: I was wrong.
