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When two NFL teams battle that have relatively nothing on the line toward the end of the season, just about any result seems possible. That said, few could have seen the 38-10 dismantling that Arizona put on Detroit coming in Week 15. Matthew Stafford was 24 of 50 for 246 yards and three interceptions and had no trouble pinning the loss on himself, which I suppose is admirable, but good grief.
Matthew Stafford joined WXYT in Detroit with Valenti and Foster to discuss how much of the season is his fault, why he pinned Sunday’s loss to Arizona on himself, his throwing mechanics, why he was still in the game late, if Jim Schwartz has lost control of the Lions team and what the group has to play for over the final two weeks of the year.
You said Sunday’s loss to Arizona was on you. How much of the season, in general, is your fault?:
“I don’t know. Obviously I’m putting in as good of effort as I can put in. The numbers aren’t the same as last year, as far as touchdown and interceptions, and I understand that. But it’s a team game. We win as a team and lose as a team, and we understand that.”
What was it that stuck out about Saturday that made you shoulder the blame?:
“I just turned the ball over. You turn the ball over like that and give the other team easy scores, then that’s going to change the game.”
Are you comfortable with your mechanics right now?:
“Very comfortable with my mechanics. … I feel good about them.”
But it appears that a lot of your throws are more sidearm than usual:
“I really don’t feel like it’s too much different, to tell you the truth. I’m just trying to make the plays that are there. … I feel like I probably threw two balls sidearm [Sunday] and I think both of them were complete. If that’s a problem, then I don’t really know what to tell you.”
That loss was embarrassing. What happened:
“We turned the ball over, just like I told you. They got 28 points off of four turnovers from our team. I turned it over three times, gave them three easy scores, and we had a turnover on special teams.”
Why were you still in the game when you guys were down 38-10?:
“Yeah, I would’ve had a problem with it [if they would’ve taken me out]. I’m out there with my teammates. Everybody else is out there, I’m going to be out there. I don’t care how bad the score is, if I’m getting hit or how bad I’m playing, it doesn’t matter to me. I want to be out there.”
Could you maybe have used a breather to maybe go to the sideline and see what was going on, because nothing was going right?:
“I don’t think so. We had a chance there. Before I threw that last pick there, if it’s a touchdown instead of a pick, it’s a seven-point game with some time left in the fourth. That’s something that obviously turned it. … We had that thing moving in the fourth quarter and had a chance if I don’t throw that pick.”
People are wondering if Jim Schwartz has lost control of the team. What do you say to that?:
“Absolutely not. Everybody in that locker room has a ton of respect for Coach Schwartz and he has everybody’s attention when he speaks. We believe in him, we’ve just got to put it together and play a little better football.”
What’s left to play for in these last two games?:
“You get a chance to go out there and play football on Sunday in the NFL, a chance to go win some games, a chance to feel good toward the end of the season, and a chance to prove yourself. That’s what we look forward to.”
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