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A look at Matthew Stafford's career stats shows that the quarterback is among the best in the business. He is currently 11th in terms of all-time total passing yards with 51,758. That puts him ahead of legendary quarterbacks like John Elway and Warren Moon and he now has Eli Manning in his sights.
In terms of passing touchdowns, he has 330. Thus, he is sandwiched between Hall-of-Famers John Elway and Frank Tarkerton. In addition to these stats, last season he achieved the Holy Grail for any NFL player: winning the Lombardi Trophy.
If he were to retire today, he would still be keeping company with some of the greatest luminaries who have ever played the quarterback position. Yet, he is clearly not done and has many years to play barring some freak turn of fortune. In terms of statistical comparison, he is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. But does that do justice to how good he has actually been as a quarterback? Other considerations might seem to rule that out.
Matthew Stafford's numbers put in perspective
The best place to start judging Matthew Stafford's ability is by comparing him to league averages over the years. We talked about two Hall-of-Famers above: Frank Tarkerton and John Elway.
When Frank Tarkerton was plying his trade in the NFL (1961 to 1971), the average passing yards per game never exceeded 200 yards (taking an average of all teams). When John Elway played (1983 to 1998), the highest it ever went to was 220.8 yards. In Matthew Stafford's era, it has never been lower than 218.5 yards, reaching 243.8 yards in the 2015 season. This shows a clear shift towards a more pass-friendly league that has aided the numbers Stafford has put up.
His impact during the season is the second major consideration. Frank Tarkerton was the NFL MVP in 1975 and made it to nine Pro Bowls. John Elway was the NFL MVP in the 1987 season and Super Bowl MVP in the 1998 campaign. He won two Super Bowls. Stafford has never been an MVP in his career and last season, the Super Bowl MVP award went to Cooper Kupp.
Looking at the above stats and figures, one might say that Matthew Stafford's ability as a quarterback is lower than some in the NFL even now. The way the league has changed put him on a pedestal that he may not truly deserve.
On the other hand, there are mitigating factors. Stafford played most of his career with the Detroit Lions, a famously underperforming franchise. This is a franchise that neither Barry Sanders nor Calvin Johnson could rescue. In such a context, that Matthew Stafford was still able to put up those numbers is exemplary. This shows him to be a much better quarterback than he is given credit for.
He won the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in the very first season after leaving Detroit. You could argue that had he had the right coaches and support before, he would have won more and we might be comparing him to Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.
So, where does the truth lie? Ultimately, it is very tough to reach a conclusion either way. It points to the fact that the NFL is ever-evolving and a team game. Hence, much of what we take as individual achievements is dependent upon the team around the quarterback and their luck in landing in a good spot. Matthew Stafford's career might have to wait until his retirement before being judged. After all, there could be many a page yet to be written in his story.
