Carr, Stafford Lead the Pack for NFL MVP
One thing is for certain so far this NFL season, and that is that nothing is for certain. Each week has brought us our share of the strange. never seen before and downright spooky. Not the least of which has been the uncanny ability of QBs to lead their teams back from seemingly impossible odds.
At the top of that list is Matthew Stafford of Detroit and Derek Carr of Oakland. While Dak Prescott has been downright amazing so far this season, he also has a very impressive rookie RB and dynamite offensive line. Stafford and Carr have been the most responsible of any 2 players in the NFL for the success of their teams this season.
Entering Week 13, both QB have their teams in first place in their respective divisions (Raiders lead the AFC West with a 9-2 record, while the Lions lead the NFC North at 7-4). Both players have also been responsible for leading weekly 4th quarter comebacks to help their teams do so. Actually, for Stafford, he has led the Lions from behind in the 4th quarter in all of their wins this season, as the Lions, along with the 0-12 Cleveland Browns, are the only teams to trail in 4th quarter of every game this season.
Lets start with what Derek Carr has done for the Raiders this season. After leading the Raiders back from a 32-24 4th quarter deficit in Week 12, Carr now has five game-winning drives in the fourth quarter & overtime this season, which is the most by any quarterback in a single-season in Raiders history. His 9 game-winning drives in the last 2 seasons are second in the NFL, behind - wait for it - Matthew Stafford.
Looking at his overall numbers in the 4th quarter/OT this season, Carr has not just been good, he has been exceptional. Carr has completed just under 68 percent of his passes, averaging over 100 yards, while throwing 10 TD and just 1 INT. His QB rating for 4th quarter/OT is 122.4.
Another area that Carr has been at his best this season is when the Raiders are behind. For the season, Carr is 115-173 (66.5) for 1,381 yds with 12 TD and ZERO interceptions. Overall, Carr ranks 5th in NFL in yards passing with 3,115, has thrown 22 TD and just 5 INT on the season, while completing over 66 percent of his passes. That has been good enough to lead the Raiders to their first winning season since 2002, snapping the longest current streak in the NFL without a winning season.
Unless you have lived in a cave, if you have followed the NFL since the merger in 1970, you know that the Lions history has been, well, not good. Going back even further, the Detroit Lions franchise has been around since the 1930s. Never in that time period of almost 80 seasons have the Lions put together consecutive seasons of 10+ wins. Obviously with the Lions already matching their win total for 2015, they are hoping for a chance to end that streak next season.
Currently the Lions sit at 7-4, which is good enough to lead the NFC North by a game-and-a-half over the Minnesota Vikings, whom they defeated twice this season (so really they have a 2-game lead in the division over the Packers who are 5-6 and a 2.5 game lead over the Vikings who would need to finish with a better record than them to win the division). The last time the Lions won a division title was in 1993, which is the longest drought for any division winner. As a matter of fact, since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only the Jets have won fewer division titles than the Lions three. Every other franchise, of the 26 franchises that entered the NFL in 1970, has won at least 5 division titles.
For Matthew Stafford, this season has been an extension of what he started last year under offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. Cooter took over as the Lions offensive coordinator in Week 8 of the 2015 season, when the Lions were 1-6 and Stafford had just 12 TD to 9 INT. In the 20 games since Cooter has took over, Stafford has been a revelation. Not only has Stafford's numbers taken off, but the Lions have won 13 of those 20 games. Stafford has thrown for 5,279 yards, completed just under 68 percent of his passes and thrown for 30 more TD than INT (39-9).
While we already told you that Stafford has led the Lions back from 4th quarter deficits in each of their 11 games this season. They are the 8th team since 2008 to have done that. While the Lions are 7-4 this season, the other teams that have done that are a combined 4-73. The Lions are also the first team in NFL history to have each of their first 11 games each be decided by 7 points or fewer. Their 7 wins when trailing in the 4th quarter this season are tied for the most in single-season in NFL history with the 2009 Colts. What do those 2 teams have in common? Jim Caldwell.
Stafford's propencity to lead the Lions back in the 4th quarter this season is nothing new. Since joining the NFL in 2009, only Matt Ryan has more 4th quarter/OT game-winning drives than Stafford's 27 (Ryan has 28).
Lastly, one final note while these 2 players deserve to be considered top candidates for NFL MVP this season. Since the NFL realigned to eight divisions in the 2002 season, the Lions and Raiders have been two of the three worst teams in the NFL. But this season, they have shrugged off that recent history and are both in sole possession of first place in their division. Such a major change this season is due to the impressive play of their QBs.
Worst win Pct. in NFL - Since Division Realignment in 2002
Win Pct. | 2016 W-L | |
Browns | .319 | 0-12 |
Raiders>> | .353 | 9-2 |
Lions>> | .353 | 7-4 |
<<Sole possession of 1st place in division |
