It's been 11 years since the Lions drafted Matthew Stafford first overall.
He's set franchise records and NFL records. He's been to the Pro Bowl. He's turned fourth quarter comebacks into a routine.
But he's yet to win a playoff game, in case you hadn't heard.
Is this the year Stafford gets the monkey off his back? Another former No. 1 pick likes the Lions' chances in 2020.
In a panel discussion as to which starting quarterback who entered the NFL as the top pick will win the most games this season, former Texans QB and NFL.com analyst David Carr tabbed Stafford over Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow. (Cam Newton and Jameis Winston were exempt from the discussion as presumed backups.)
"This may not be the popular answer, but Matthew Stafford is in good position heading into the 2020 NFL season," Carr writes. "I love the moves the Lions made in the offseason on defense, from the acquisitions of Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton and Duron Harmon (all coming from New England) to the signing of Desmond Trufant after trading away Darius Slay, who made it clear he didn't want to be in Detroit. Oh, and then they went out and drafted the top CB in the class in Jeff Okudah. Offensively, second-round pick D'Andre Swift should provide a boost out of the backfield. If I'm Stafford, I feel really good about the roster and confident the Lions can do something special this fall."
Carr's right -- it wasn't the popular answer. Of the four other panelists, three -- including former Lions WR Nate Burleson -- chose Mayfield, while one chose Goff. But Carr brings up some good points. And he echoes what Matt Patricia said last week: the Lions are doing everything they can to help Stafford out.
"I'm trying to do the best I can to build around Matt Stafford," said Patricia. "I think that's the most important thing. Try to help him out, obviously with the offensive line in front of him, get a little bit of a run game, get some skill players out there and play better defense and try to do everything we can to have a complementary football team with him as our leader."
The defense might be the most important piece of the equation. Stafford played at an MVP-level through the first half of last season, and the Lions stood at 3-4-1 because they gave up touchdowns like it was going out of style. Then Stafford went down with a back injury and Detroit didn't win another game.
If Stafford and the offense can pick up where they left off in year two under Darrell Bevell, and the defense can carry its weight, a much brighter season could be in store.
As to whether No. 9 will ditch that monkey, we'll have to wait and see.
