Sunday open thread: Predict Matthew Stafford’s statline vs. Vikings

On Saturday, I asked Pride of Detroit readers how they thought Case Keenum would perform against the Detroit Lions, seeing as he’s had one very good game and one very bad game. Unsurprisingly, Lions fans mostly think Keenum falls closer to the bad end of the spectrum, despite the fact that Keenum lit up the Lions’ 2016 secondary for 321 yards, 3 TDs and an interception.

Matthew Stafford has been a much more consistent quarterback over the past few years. He’s limited interceptions, become a precision short-yardage passer and developed mobility to bring an extra edge to his game.

But the one thing Stafford has never really found out is the Vikings’ defense. In the past six contests, Stafford has only passed for over 260 yards once, while throwing for under 200 twice. Over that time, he’s completed just 61.1 percent of his passes, well below his 64.3 average in the past three seasons.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

What will Matthew Stafford’s statline be against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday:

My answer: 20-35, 262 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

My stat prediction is actually somewhat close to that of my Case Keenum prediction (20/29, 240, 1 TD, 1 INT).

Obviously, I think Stafford is the much better quarterback, but I also think the Vikings sport a much better defense. I think Minnesota will be able to bring a lot of pressure on Stafford Sunday, so Detroit will have to take what Minny gives them, which should be a lot of short-yardage passes. Like usual, the Lions will have to result in a fair amount of YAC, which they are more than capable of. But with likely no rushing attack, Stafford will have to air it out early and often. I’d be surprised if he threw it any less than 30 times.

Your turn.