Matt Patricia Makes Encouraging Claim About Matthew Stafford in 2020

Matthew Stafford

Getty Matthew Stafford playing against Cleveland in 2017.

The Detroit Lions are pushing toward the opening of their 2020 season in just a few short weeks, and in order to have a big season on the field, will need a big season from their quarterback.

Fortunately, Matt Patricia has good news for Lions fans on that front and possible bad news for the rest of the league. So far in camp, Patricia would grade Matthew Stafford’s overall performance as “locked in,” something he admitted to the media late this past week.

Stafford is looking healthy off the injury which cost him the 2019 season, and more than that is looking confident in an offense which suits his skillset perfectly. He’s been turning in a wide array of impressive throws in camp. All that combined could be a winning formula for the Lions this coming season.

Clearly, Stafford is in the right mental and physical shape to get the Lions going this season, which could be huge for the team.


Halapoulivaati Vaitai Praises Matthew Stafford’s Mindset

Vaitai came to the Lions this offseason off a stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the team had plenty of success while he was there. Now, though, the lineman finds himself just as motivated in his new surroundings thanks to Matthew Stafford.

Speaking to the media, Vaitai explained that Stafford’s drive to win is impressive.

Vaitai said:

“What I notice from Matt, Matt’s always trying to win. If you’re going to play with Matt or for Matt, you’ve got to pick up the tempo because he’s not here to lolly-gag, he’s here to win. I picked that up pretty fast and I’ll give him everything I have. He’s really good back there.”

Stafford expects a ton from his teammates and especially his offensive linemen, and it’s great to see expectations getting raised and players staying fired up when working with him.

Vaitai sounds ready to dominate this season and Stafford’s mindset could be a big reason why.


Matthew Stafford Named Potential MVP by ESPN

Stafford’s winning mindset is that of a player who is locked in and wants success at the greatest level. He looks healthy and motivated and now that he has presumably healed up, the sky could be the limit for the quarterback during the 2020 season. In fact, some already see Stafford as being in the mix for a major award for his play during next season.

ESPN recently put together an Insider piece predicting some outcomes for the 2020 season. When it came to league MVP, there were scant votes for Stafford, but one insider was bold enough to say he thinks the Detroit quarterback could be the league MVP.

In a piece by MLive.com’s Benjamin Raven, the thoughts of ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler from the piece are presented. Here’s a look at what was written by Raven that Fowler shared in the piece:

“The Lions quarterback was playing some of the best ball of his career before going down with fractured bones in his back, though, and his level of play was reason enough for one ESPN analyst to pencil him in as the 2020 NFL MVP.

“Mahomes is still the game’s best player, but Stafford was playing really good football before his midseason back issues,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes (ESPN Insider). “If he leads Detroit to contention, which isn’t so farfetched considering the talent around him, he’ll be in the MVP mix because he puts up numbers and the NFC North is as open as Kenny Golladay.”

The Lions were arguably getting MVP level play out of Stafford before he got hurt, and the numbers proved that he was acclimating just fine to Darrell Bevell’s new offense in Detroit. Last season, Stafford was cruising along to the tune of 19 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and 2,499 yards. Clearly, he was the most valuable player for the Lions considering what happened to the team when he went down.

To become league MVP, the Lions will have to have an elite season on the field in terms of winning and also get great stats from Stafford. It might seem like a tall order, but it’s always possible if the Lions can finally play up to their potential.

A locked in Stafford might be the best way to get this to play out.

READ NEXT: Lions Cornerback Suffers Leg Injury During Practice