BOB WOJNOWSKI

Stafford can silence critics with Lions victory

Justin Rogers
The Detroit News
In the 2015 playoffs, Matthew Stafford went 28-for-42 for 323 yards, a touchdown pass to Golden Tate, and an interception, in a 24-20 loss to the Cowboys.

Allen Park — In an era of prolific passing numbers, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has racked up yards and touchdowns with the best of them. But meaningful team success continues to elude the 28-year-old signal-caller and, fair or not, it continues to shape national perception and, ultimately, his legacy.

Forgive the foreboding tone. There’s plenty of Stafford’s story left to be written, but eight years into his highly productive career, he hasn’t won a division title, hasn’t won a playoff game, and his 5-45 record against teams that finished with a winning record is worthy of a double-take from those who haven’t heard the figure before.

While Stafford won’t get another shot at the NFC North crown until 2017, he still can begin reshaping his individual narrative tonight in Seattle, by leading the underdog Lions past the Seahawks in the wild card round.

Those eager to defend Stafford have likely already picked up their pitchforks, or at the very least, logged in to angrily comment and email. They’re undoubtedly armed with a litany of excuses, many of which have some validity.

They’ll pin the quarterback’s shortcomings on the front office not supplying enough supporting talent, or the inability of the coaching staff to call the right plays. And the other players are expected to shoulder the blame, too, they’ll argue — whether it’s the offensive line’s inability to protect, the running backs missing the holes or the receivers dropping passes.

All of those criticism have merit, to an extent. Football is a team game. The quarterback isn’t solely responsible for wins and losses, but there is a reason the position has taken home eight of the past nine MVP awards. Quarterbacks touch the ball more than any other play and do play the biggest role in a team’s success. And when the biggest moments have called for transcendence, the defining characteristic of a truly elite player, Stafford hasn’t delivered.

“He is a terrific talent and a great competitor,” Hall of fame quarterback and Fox broadcaster Troy Aikman told the New York Times last month. “But when people talk about the best quarterbacks out there, they talk about Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Matt’s name doesn’t really come off the tongue. The reason, in my opinion, is that you’ve got to do it in January. Until you win in January, then you are never going to be thought of as a great one.”

That’s taking nothing away from what Stafford has accomplished. You can respect the fact he’s the franchise’s all-time leader in completion, passing yards and touchdowns, while holding the team’s single-season marks in those categories, as well as completion percentage and passer rating.

His toughness and durability are also worthy of admiration, having started 96 consecutive games. Who would have imagined that feat after two injury-shortened seasons to begin his career?

And we all marvel at the 28 fourth-quarter comebacks, including an NFL record eight this season. It’s difficult to argue against Stafford’s poise under pressure. It even temporarily thrust him into the MVP conversation, before a late-season fade.

Which begs the question, where has Stafford been when all the chips are truly on the table? Where was he the past three weeks, when he had the opportunity to lead the team to its first division title in 23 years, despite an admittedly tough slate of opponents?

Against the Giants, the Lions couldn’t get into the end zone with three trips inside the 20, finishing with a season-low six points. Against the Cowboys and Packers, the offense vanished in the second half, scoring a combined 10 points, seven coming on a Hail Mary-type pass.

Wojo: Lions not necessarily hopeless in Seattle

Stafford, who had protected the ball well all season, was intercepted in all three losses.

Those games, in many ways, mirror Stafford’s previous two playoff appearances. Against the Cowboys in 2014, the Lions jumped out to a 20-7 lead early in the third quarter and couldn’t score again. Stafford was intercepted, on a tipped pass to open the second half, and fumbled after holding on to the ball too long on the team’s final offensive play.

The defining moment of that game was a third-and-1 in the fourth quarter, when the officials controversially picked up a pass interference flag thrown against Dallas, but we rarely talk about Stafford’s throw. Why was he forcing a ball to a well-covered tight end, Brandon Pettigrew, a player who had caught just 10 passes that season?

Stafford can’t change the past. What’s happened, has happened. But there’s still plenty of time to shape a legacy. These are the moments that call for transcendence, against superior competition in meaningful games. A fourth-quarter comeback in this moment is worth 10, maybe more, in the regular season.

A win in Seattle isn’t going to flip the script, but it would be a strong start, an important building block for both Stafford and the long-suffering Lions.

Lions at Seahawks

Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. Saturday, CenturyLink Field, Seattle

TV/radio: NBC/WJR 760

Records: No. 6 seed Lions 9-7, No. 3 seed Seahawks 10-5-1

Line: Seahawks by 8

Next: A Lions victory would send them to Dallas to face the No. 1 seed Cowboys on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 4:40 p.m. in the divisional round.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter.com: @Justin_Rogers