Matthew Stafford has always had one of the NFL’s best throwing arms. In 2019, Stafford got back to using it more aggressively than he had in recent seasons. It suited him well enough to earn Stafford the title of the NFL’s top gunslinger.
The five criteria factored together by Ian Hartitz of Rotoworld, who authored the piece via Yahoo Sports:
Average target depth (PFF)
Deep-ball rate (PFF)
Aggressiveness rate (Next-Gen Stats)
Non-throwaway rate (Pro Football Reference)
Combined Money Throws and Danger Plays (Player Profiler)
Hartitz is quick to point out that being a gunslinger isn’t necessarily a positive trait. But in Stafford’s case, being more aggressive in coordinator Darrell Bevell’s more open offense played strongly to Stafford’s strengths as a passer.
Overall, Stafford led all QBs in average target depth, deep-ball rate and aggressiveness. The Lions were 3-4-1 in Stafford’s eight starts with one extremely fluky loss against the Chiefs, and one borderline robbery vs. the Packers.
It’s an encouraging sign for 2020 with a healthy Stafford in Detroit. No. 9 is at his best when he’s being aggressive and showing off the high-powered rifle of a right arm he’s still got.