As the Lions prepare to do battle this Saturday with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card round of the playoffs, let’s take a look at their signal callers.
Since being drafted by the Lions with the first overall pick of the 2009 draft, we’ve had the pleasure of seeing quarterback Matthew Stafford do some unbelievable things. He is one of only four players to have thrown for 5,000 yards in a single season, was the quickest to 25,000 passing yards in league history, and has also engineered the most comeback wins in a single season, with eight this year.
On the other hand, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has done some remarkable things throughout his career as well. After being drafted in the third round of the 2012 draft, Wilson came out of the gates strong. He tied Peyton Manning‘s record for passing touchdowns by a rookie with 26 and led the Seahawks to their first ever Super Bowl victory in 2014. So, which quarterback would you rather have on your team?
The stats tell two different stories. For his career, Stafford has thrown for 30,303 yards, 187 touchdowns, and 108 interceptions. He has shown a knack for extending plays with his legs at times, as he has rushed for 851 yards in his career, with 14 touchdowns. He has compiled an overall record of 51-60 while making just two playoff appearances (both resulting in first round losses).
Conversely, Wilson has thrown for 18,193 yards over the course of his five-year career, with 127 touchdowns and 45 interceptions. He has much more of a mobile tendency than Stafford, having run for 2,689 yards, but only 13 touchdowns. Wilson’s career record stands at 63-26-1, and the team has appeared in the playoffs each year since his arrival.
Of course, both teams were in different places when they drafted each of these players (and still are, to some degree). Stafford has seen great personal successes throughout his career, but those successes have only led to two postseason appearances. Wilson’s team has had great success throughout his career, and he has accomplished a fair amount of personal success as well.
Both players have entrenched themselves as fixtures with their teams, and have endeared themselves to their fanbases. Both are in the prime of their careers, and while the overall team success hasn’t exactly spread to Detroit, the Lions wouldn’t rather have any other quarterback at the helm of their offense.
