Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is headed to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his NFL career.
Stafford has been added to the NFL’s all-star game roster, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com said Sunday night. Stafford will take the place of Denver’s Peyton Manning, the Lions said.
As Twentyman noted, the Lions haven’t had a Pro Bowl quarterback since 1971, when Greg Landry played in the game. Landry, Bobby Layne and Stafford are the only Pro Bowl quarterbacks in club history.
The 26-year-old Stafford connected on 363-of-602 passes for 4,257 yards with 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for Detroit, which made the postseason for the second time in Stafford’s NFL career.