WHAT?!? Tyrod Taylor, Blake Bortles included as QBs better than Lions’ Matthew Stafford

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NFL: Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints Is Jameson Williams the Next Matthew Stafford?
Dec 4, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) celebrates after throwing a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Lions defeated the Saints 28-13. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to the start of the 2017 regular season, the Detroit Lions made quarterback Matthew Stafford the highest paid player in NFL history by signing him to a 5-year, $135 million contract extension.

Ever since that moment, Stafford has been under the microscope for every move he makes on the football field and he has risen to the occasion in a big way.

http://gty.im/896558628

Through 14 games, the Lions signal-caller has completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,920 yards and 25 touchdowns while only throwing nine interceptions. Stafford has undoubtedly been the most important player for the Lions (for years) and his name has even been mentioned when talking about players deserving of NFL Most Valuable Player considerations.

But one popular, but often inaccurate, football site disagree that Stafford is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

According to Pro Football Focus, Stafford is the No. 18 ranked quarterback in the NFL (No. 19 if you include Carson Wentz, who is injured). PFF gave the Lions quarterback an overall rating of 80.7, which according to their “Player Grading Scale,” is “starter” status.

https://twitter.com/PFF/status/652583704800444416

But what really makes things interesting is when you take a look at some of the quarterbacks PFF ranked ahead of Matthew Stafford.

Let’s take a look at the overall rankings:

Tom Brady (95.1)

Ben Roethlisberger (88.1)

Matt Ryan (88.1)

Russell Wilson (87.3)

Drew Brees (86.7)

Case Keenum (85.1)

Marcus Mariota (84.7)

Aaron Rodgers (84.4)

Philip Rivers (83.5)

Alex Smith (83.5)

Tyrod Taylor (83.4)

Jimmy Garoppolo (82.1)

Blake Bortles (81.9)

Jameis Winston (81.5)

Kirk Cousins (81.1)

Derek Carr (80.8)

Dak Prescott (80.8)

Matthew Stafford (80.7)

Jared Goff (78.6)

Andy Dalton (78.4)

Eli Manning (78.1)

Cam Newton (76.7)

Joe Flacco (75.5)

Jacoby Brissett (75.1)

Mitchell Trubisky (73.4)

Nick Foles (72.1)

Jay Cutler (68.7)

T.J. Yates (67.6)

Drew Stanton (57.7)

Deshone Kizer (51.6)

Brock Osweiler (51.3)

Bryce Petty (48.9)

Wait, what?!? Players like Blake Bortles and Tyrod Taylor, just to name a couple, are ranked ahead of Stafford?

I am sorry, but anyone who ranks those quarterbacks ahead of Matthew Stafford should never be able to analyze anything NFL related EVER again.

Let’s see how Stafford ranks in some of the major passing categories.

Completion % – 6th

Yards – 3rd

TD’s – 5th

Int % – 9th

Yards/Attempt – 6th

Quarterback Rating – 6th

QBR – 9th

Most Times Sacked – 2nd

Game-Winning Drives – 1st

When looking at those statistics, it is mind-boggling to think that ANYONE would rank Matthew Stafford as the No. 18 quarterback in the NFL. Oh, by the way, he has put up those numbers while having the No. 31 rushing attack in the league.

There is little question that Stafford is a top-tier quarterback in the NFL, even if places like PFF think otherwise.

 

 

 

 

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