Matthew Stafford

Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford playing MVP football

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is playing some of the best football of his NFL career in 2016, putting this Lions team in great position…

Very quietly, Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions are playing some of the best football in the entire NFL over the last couple of months.

The Lions have lost just one game since early October, a road game against the Houston Texans, and have won their last four in a row. Stafford has obviously been a key component of their success, particularly late in games where he has been fantastic.

Stafford’s numbers haven’t been anything wild this season; he has 3,224 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. His quarterback rating is over 100, and if the season ended today, that would be easily the highest of his career thus far.

He’s ranked 7th on Pro Football Focus’ list of top quarterbacks in the NFL this season, and has performed his best in clutch moments for the Lions. As PFF also pointed out, this is particularly impressive considering the fact that Calvin Johnson is no longer with the team.

What’s perhaps more impressive is the way the Lions are getting this done without a legitimate running game offensively. They rank 29th in the NFL in this particular category, and have had a revolving door at that position all year.

The fact that the Lions are one-dimensional in a way offensively combined with the absence of Calvin Johnson makes Stafford’s performance all the more impressive. He’s truly put this Lions team on his back, and is pushing all the right buttons when he needs to, leading the NFL with seven fourth quarter comebacks this season.

With a record of 8-4 this season, Stafford and the Lions face one of the toughest three-game stretches to finish the season following Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears in Detroit. They will travel to New York to take on the Giants in week 15, followed by a trip to Dallas in week 16 and a home game against the Packers in the final week of the season.

Through 12 games, Stafford has been arguably the league’s MVP. Now he’s going to have a chance to prove himself in a big way.