Matthew Stafford, the former No. 1 overall pick who won more games in this town than any other QB and lost more games than anyone else had requested a trade out of Detroit.
Things have worked out so far for Stafford, who ranks among the top-five quarterbacks in the league according to most measures, including passer rating, yards and QBR. And as the season heads for the home stretch, Los Angeles (11-4) stands alone atop the NFC West, positioning Stafford for something he’s never had in a dozen years in this game: A home playoff game.
The Lions, meanwhile, have already used one of L.A.’s draft picks to select cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu, who has been slowed by injury this season but looked promising while on the field. Now they’re sitting on two first-rounders in each of the next two years, which will give Holmes and Campbell plenty of ammunition to expedite the rebuild.
Goff has been more of a mixed bag, struggling badly throughout most of the season, due in part to a dire supporting cast around him. But he’s also played better in recent weeks, throwing nine touchdowns passes and just two interceptions in his last four games and posting a passer rating of 105.1. That trailed just Stafford and two others across the league, offering some hope that maybe, just maybe, he could help lead a changing organization through the quagmire after all.
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