College Basketball

Former Bulldog Matthew Stafford trying to make history in Detroit

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:24 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Matt Green/FanSided via Dawn of the Dawg

After one of the best seasons of his NFL career, Matthew Stafford is trying to accomplish something for the first time in his NFL career: Win a playoff game.

The last time Detroit won a playoff game was in January of 1992 when they knocked off the Cowboys 38-6 in the Silverdome when Wayne Fontes was the head coach.

Since then, the Lions have been to the playoffs seven times and lost the opening game each time.

This is the third time in Stafford’s eight-year career that the Lions have made the postseason, and the first two tries didn’t turn out how Stafford and the Lions had hoped.

In 2012, the Lions made their first playoff appearance since 1999. In that game, Stafford went  28-for-43 of 380 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. While the Lions trailed by just three entering the fourth quarter, the Saints ended up pulling away and won 45-28.

In 2015, Detroit took a 20-14 lead into the fourth quarter, and led my as much as 20-7 against the Cowboys. Stafford went 28-for-42 for 323 yards with a touchdown and an interception. But Dallas came back and took a 24-20 lead with 2:32 remaining in the game. On the game’s final drive, Stafford was sacked and fumbled to give the Cowboys the victory.

On Saturday, Detroit will travel to Seattle for one of their toughest tests yet. Seattle has won nine straight home playoff games dating back to 2005.

The Seahawks rank fifth in the NFL in total defense, allowing 318.7 yards per game. They also rank third in the league in scoring defense, allowing 18.2 points per game, and third in the league with 42 sacks.

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This season Stafford had one of the most efficient seasons of his career. His 24 touchdowns are far from a career-high, but his 10 interceptions are a career-low and the sixth fewest among 20 quarterbacks that attempted 500 passes this season.

Stafford’s 4,327 passing yards rank sixth in the league. And his 65.3 percent completion percentage is the second best mark of his career and his 93.3 passer rating is the third best mark of his career.

Stafford has also started running more this season, setting a career-highs with 207 yards and 5.6 yards per carry.

Can he lead the Lions to their first playoff victory in 25 years?

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