The Lions fell to 0-5 on Sunday after a 42-17 defeat to the Cardinals. Among the talking points after the game was the decision by Jim Caldwell to bench Matthew Stafford during the third quarter.
Stafford struggled in the first half, throwing an interception on Detroit’s opening drive of the game and another early in the second quarter, bringing his interception total for the season to seven. That was apparently enough for Caldwell, who told Stafford at halftime he would be benched if another pass found its way to the opposing team.
Lions QB Matt Stafford said Jim Caldwell warned him at the half that he'd bench him if he threw another pick. He did, and he did.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 11, 2015
On Detroit’s first drive of the third quarter, Stafford threw a pass intended for Calvin Johnson that was picked off by Patrick Peterson, who returned it 40 yards the other way. As promised, Dan Orlovsky was under center on team’s next series. Stafford finished the day 20-of-32 for 188 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Orlovsky completed 21 of his 38 attempts for 191 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Despite benching Stafford, Caldwell said after the game he would remain the starter going forward, using a baseball analogy.
Caldwell on Stafford: "It’s like a pitcher not having a very good day. If a pitcher comes out, obviously he’s still the starter."
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) October 12, 2015
With the team winless, frustration is understandably high in Detroit. Perhaps no one feels it more than Caldwell, who felt the need to shake things up a bit on Sunday. We’ll have to see how Stafford and the team respond next week when the Bears come to town.
