Getty Matthew Stafford prior to the game against the Bears.
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had the most frustrating seat in the house to watch D’Andre Swift drop the ball in the end zone on Sunday that would have won the game, but the past is now the past as it relates to the play.
Stafford, speaking with the media this week, indicated that the mistake isn’t going to change his view of the rookie, and he’s still going to seek him out for similar targets near the goal line even in similar situations moving forward.
How many times would Stafford target Swift again in that situation? 100 out of 100 according to the quarterback.
Stafford said zero hesitation to go to D’Andre Swift in that end-of-game situation in the future: I’m throwing it to him 100 times out of 100
That’s the mark of a quarterback and a leader trying to build up a rookie for the future, and an excellent sentiment for Stafford to share. It wasn’t Swift’s fault that the Lions lost the game, and he very nearly made one of the top plays a rookie has ever made in a season opener.
It wasn’t to be for Swift, but perhaps next time. According to Stafford, there will easily be a next time.
D’Andre Swift Called Goat for Drop
After the weekend of games around the league for Week 1, the Lions rookie running back was named one of the top goats in the league by Peter King of NBC Sports. In a Football Morning in America piece, King came after Swift pretty harshly following his drop in the end zone.
Here’s what he wrote:
“The second-round rookie from Georgia lost his first NFL game. No exaggeration there. Down 27-23 with six seconds to play, Swift got behind two Chicago defenders and Matthew Stafford found him with a perfect strike in Swift’s chest—and the ball bounced haplessly off Swift’s hands in the end zone. Lots of players contributed to the outcome of their games. But the painful truth about this stunning dropped ball by an open D’Andre Swift is simple: If he catches it, the Lions win. But he dropped it, and the Lions lost.”
It is simple, yet so much more complicated than that. Had the Lions defense not fallen apart in awful fashion, they may have never been in position to depend on Swift catching a late pass. Had kicker Matt Prater been 10 yards closer, the offense may have merely needed a chip shot field goal in the final minutes. Had the team been not so dinged up, perhaps they would have had more players to make a key play here and there on both sides of the ball in a close game.
It’s easy to blame Swift himself for the loss, but it should be much easier to realize that while his play was the most magnified, it wasn’t the only reason Detroit lost the game. There were plenty of other goats to go around, even if he seemed like the biggest to those on the outside.
Damon Harrison Wants Fans to Forgive D’Andre Swift
Damon Harrison doesn’t want Detroit fans to be too harsh on their new rookie. After the game, Harrison hopped on Twitter to defend Swift after the mistake, urging fans to be patient with their young player who made a mistake.
Build the rookie up Lions fans. Don’t tear him down. You’re going to need him soon. I know y’all been through a lot but he’ll need the support. Season is young.
What Harrison said is true. After the game, Matt Patricia said he consoled Swift and said he emphasized it wasn’t all his fault. The hope is the fans forgive the rookie runner who still figures to have a very bright future with the Lions in Detroit.
We’ll see how the fans react to Swift and his tough moment this week.
Watch D’Andre Swift’s Key Drop
After scoring a touchdown early in the game, Swift had a chance to endear himself further to Detroit fans when the Lions were driving trying to take the lead late against the Chicago Bears. Instead of securing the game with the touchdown, Swift simply dropped the ball.
Here’s a look at the play:
#Lions rookie D’Andre Swift dropped the touchdown that could’ve won the game.
The ball was right in the hands of Swift, he secured it and looked to be in, but at the end, he just flat out dropped the pass. It was a heartbreaking end for the Lions who blew another season opener in the late stages just like in 2019.
Safe to say this was not the start anyone wanted to Swift’s Detroit career, but nice to see Swift getting picked up by his teammates in the meantime.
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