If you want a screenshot break down of the hit that put Stafford in so much pain and nearly forced him to miss the final play of the game, head over to The Wayne Fontes Experience.
On what was supposed to be the last play of the game, Stafford stepped up & into a hit and lobbed a ball into the endzone as time expired, hoping for a miracle to occur for the Lions to beat the awful Cleveland Browns. As Stafford laid face first in the turf in the fetal position, the Browns were being flagged for pass interference allowing the Lions one last play at the Browns one yard line with 0:00 on the clock.
A part of me tells me Stafford didn’t even realize this until the Browns stupidly called timeout as Daunte Culpepper was on the field ready to take the final snap of the game, barring another penalty. During the timeout Stafford excitedly tried to evade team doctors and get back on the field to finish what he started — a Lions comeback after being down 21 in the first quarter and cap off one of the best games a Lions QB has ever had in the history of the “illustrious” franchise, as a rookie.
Yes, that’s Matthew Stafford, a rookie, trying to run away from an athletic trainer to get back on the field and lead the Lions to victory. The rookie, who was hit 20+ times last week and is always under constant pressure behind a subpar (understatement) offensive line, wanted to go in with what could be a separated left shoulder and lead the 1-8 Lions to what was essentially a meaningless victory? That’s toughness.
“Probably his best play was eluding four team doctors on the sideline that were all trying [to stop him],” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. “It’s a good thing our team doctors didn’t play on varsity because Matt had to work his way back onto the field.”
And Stafford did. He called the play while visibly wincing and out of breath, went under center, took the snap, dropped back, and threw a perfect strike to Brandon Pettigrew for the game-tying touchdown, his 5th touchdown toss of the game tying an NFL record for rookies. Jason Hanson put the extra point through and the Lions were victorious.
Stafford was seen half-smiling, half-cringing in severe pain on the sidelines. Jim Schwartz tried hugging him, but Stafford shouted out in pain and Schwartz withdrew his man-hug. Stafford’s left arm was clearly hanging as he made the trek off the field.
This isn’t a win that’s going to put the Lions in the playoffs. They were mathematically eliminated a week ago. This isn’t a win that is going to guarantee the Lions any success in the future. They beat the Browns, barely, at home. But it is a win by a young quarterback that has all the money in the world guaranteed to wind up in his pockets, no matter what he does in Detroit, and thus, may not have 100% of all his teammates’ (or fans) respect. So this is not just a measly win in the standings, it’s Stafford winning over an entire lockerroom of players (and city of fans) who, if they weren’t already, realize that this kid has the toughness and leadership skills to be the Lions franchise QB. To do that for the Lions, that is true, inundated toughness.
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