Not that they have much of an option, but the Lions say they have nothing but confidence in quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Stafford’s three interceptions in last night’s loss gave him nine in the last four games, and the Lions have lost three during that span.
“I like the character of our team, I like the toughness of our team, and I like our quarterback,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Our quarterback will bounce back. He’s going to play great over these next two games.”
He needs to start soon.
Stafford’s not the only one struggling, but his turnovers are glaring. But even Calvin Johnson had some drops last night, and he tried to deflect blame from Stafford as well.
“A lot of those balls, a lot of those interceptions are the receivers’ fault, or like I said they get tipped balls, stuff like that,” Johnson said. “Matt’s doing good, man. Like I said, it’s on us. It’s a team effort. Like I said, I could have had some more plays today that could have changed the outcome of the game, so we can’t just put it on Matt.”
Given the financial investment in Stafford, they don’t have much of a choice for the moment. The reality is, he’s their guy for the coming years, and they just have to help him through the process, even if that means pumping him up when he’s the reason things are going poorly.