Matthew Stafford will remain the Detroit Lions' starting quarterback despite being benched for backup Dan Orlovsky in Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Jim Caldwell said after the loss (via Pro Football Talk). Stafford was having a disastrous game, throwing three interceptions to help dig the Lions into a three-touchdown deficit.
Matthew Stafford will remain Lions’ starter despite being benched for Dan Orlovsky
Matthew Stafford’s job isn’t in jeopardy yet.
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Caldwell reportedly compared his decision to take out Stafford to a baseball manager who knows that his starting pitcher is having an off night. Stafford said that Caldwell told him at halftime that one more interception would result in his benching. His third came on the Lions’ opening possession of the second half.
Stafford finished the 42-17 loss going 20-for-32 for 188 yards, one touchdown and three picks. Orlovsky was only slightly better, going 21-for-38 for 191 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Detroit has yet to win a game this year, and coming into the game Stafford had completed 65.0 percent of his passes for 1,017 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. Orlovsky is his primary backup, with Kellen Moore behind him. Orlovsky was a fifth-round pick by the Lions in 2005, but he last attempted a regular season pass for them in 2008.
Since that year, in which Orlovsky threw eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in ten games with the Lions, Orlovsky has thrown regular season passes for the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Orlovsky played in eight games for the Colts in 2011. His last regular season pass came with the Buccaneers in 2012. He completed 4 of 7 passes for 51 yards that year. His last season with the Lions, in 2008, was the year Detroit went 0-16.
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