No, they haven’t.
Here are the ranks of the Lions running game and defense since 2010. I see one year with a really good defense (you know, when we should’ve advanced to the divisional round). Other than that, it bounced between mediocre and flaming garbage barge.
Ok, so compared to other playoff teams at the time, where did the lions rank? Surely not the worst. Look at the Giants who were what 8-8 and backed into the playoffs and wind up beating the Patriots. Did they have an appreciably better team than the Lions? I forget the year I’m sorry, but take the 2013 and 2014 lions… as @wesleysh21 has pointed out multiple times, Stafford had a bad year in 2013 when the Lions have a very good defense. That year was on him for a lot of it.
Look at the packers, have they necessarily had clear superior teams to the Lions in the last decade? I don’t think so overall.
It’s what you make of the opportunities handed to you. Stafford never seemed to make much of his opportunities. Yes he had some great comebacks in the middle of the season, went TD for TD with the chiefs in week 4… but what happened in weeks 13-17?
While those aren’t great they also aren’t the worst of the worst. A lot of middle of the pack. But I hear you too and I appreciate you posting those stats, although they only paint a part of the whole picture, and that goes both for and against Stafford
Some of those defenses weren’t helped by all the three and outs when the offense led by Stafford couldn’t sustain drives. I’m not sure if you watch Lions games but there were times when the defense was going back on the field absolutely gassed
The rushing stat has been gone over ad nauseam here. For a lot of his career especially with Linehan and Cooter they gave Stafford pass catching running backs for him to stay in the gun and they used short throws as a de facto run game. And that’s a big reason why he racked up the yardage that he did. So it’s a little intellectually dishonest to say on one hand the quarterback is great for throwing for 4000 yards, but on the other hand, Let’s give him a pass for not having a great run game
A better way to look it up would be to take a look at the overall production of the running backs. Bell, Best and Bush were strong players on a pretty good team that included A first ballot Hall of Fame wide receiver
Also some of those defensive rankings shouldn’t have precluded Stafford and the Lions from getting a signature win. Yes the Rams have a great defense, but take a look at their ranking when Goff lead them to a Super Bowl. Most the years above in your chart show a better defense than the 2018 Rams
I know also that this post isn’t going to change your mind at all. We’ve all seen here on these posting boards that a lot of you will extend every possible excuse in every possible way for every aspect of Staffords time with the Lions
Thank you for being able to elaborate and provide better details than I was, but what you said is exactly what I was getting at. Right on man.
Listen, I don’t hate Stafford, I liked him. He was a good QB for us. And in the words of Moe from the Simpsons, now that he’s gone I don’t wish him any particular harm.
In all seriousness though I think it was time for both parties to separate and move on. And while I don’t wish his career to die, I don’t really care if he doesn’t do particularly well. He had his opportunities here and he didn’t make the most of them. Blame him or blame the rest of the team and we have the never ending debate. But show me one signature win he had when it mattered to give us home field advantage, when it was a must win game… and show me all the 3 and outs and bad games and lost opportunities so they were never in the position to have a “must win” game for the division or a playoff spot. That’s where I feel in the end he came up short a lot.
Short answer is, not well.
As you start counting the teams that win a playoff game, those numbers get even more overwhelming.
The Lions never once fielded a top-half running game. Three times in ten years was there a defense in the top half.
Those aren’t playoff team stats.
Playoffs? Hell we were just asking for a signature win over a top team
Right on. However as @TNutZz stated, how hindered was the defense by the offense? Also, those 3 times he did have a top defense based on the analysis you cited, what did he do? What did the team do?
Also the games where they lost to a bad bengals team or a bad raiders team when they could’ve won and never been in a must win situation to inevitably get beaten by the packers at the end of the season, once without Rodgers, why is that excused? To me those were the must win games. Take care of business, beat the teams you need to beat and they wouldn’t. The game would be close, dumb 16-10 game or something, and the offense led by Stafford never came through. How many losses did they have where the defense allowed less than 25 points? Or heck even 20?
Also to @TNutZz point, the lions built an offense around Stafford to keep him in the shotgun and substituting a backfield passing attack for a running game. They worked with him, joe Lombardi aside who also said Stafford didn’t get his offense… that is neither here nor there… but still… he had a lot of opportunities and didn’t show up when it mattered and maybe when it didn’t matter so it wouldn’t matter later, if that makes sense…
I’m not trying to hate on him and I do appreciate the stats and other perspectives for sure. It wasn’t always his fault or always on him. But. At the same time, look at guys like Brees, Brady, Rodgers, and given similar circumstances they usually came out on top.
I feel like 2016 is a good example - and I don’t have the greatest memory either but there are 4 games here they lost by 20 or less. So you can’t completely blame the defense.
Christ, this thread is still alive? Alright, it has earned it…
The Titans game was stolen from us by the refs. It was a flag fest and touchdowns were taken off the board on ticky tack and even a phantom call. The Texans, Bears and Giants games are good examples of the defense showing up but the offense laying an egg.
I must say you have an incredible memory, I am always impressed at your recall ability!
So take those 3 games, we go 2-1 instead and finish 11-5 and win the division instead of the packers who won the division (mad beat the lions last game of the year) and we don’t have to travel to Seattle.
Disclaimer - I looked all that up I did not remember that.
You know what I find funny in this…you were calling the 2015 team playoff caliber in one thread and now you are asking for a signature win against a good team. You seemingly agree that the 2013 team was good (7-9) and we know you think the 2015 team (also 7-9) was good (or good enough) but all of Stafford’s wins against 8-8 teams don’t count as signature wins against good teams? I’m just really curious and seriously asking a question… 
saw hes jumped up to 6th best QB just for leaving Lions. A bit messed up, how can they credibly rank QB’s if it is team dependent?
link
Rams ranked 7th in vegas despite Staffford upgrade.
I didn’t pick up on this. You make a good point. Stafford beat plenty of teams who were just 2-3 wins away from being playoff teams. They should revise Stafford’s infamous stat about not being able to beat winning teams on the road and see how many teams that were within 2-3 wins of being a winning team that he beat on the road. 
That’s is EXACTLY my line of thinking…. 
This is funny how? Consider that that team would have elevated from playoff caliber to playoff contender if Stafford could have delivered a signature win
It’s funny because you wanna qualify that team based on a fantasy fluke but won’t qualify teams like the 2011 Cowboys, which Stafford beat on the road, that finished 8-8 and had they won one more game they would have been division champs. Or the 2011 Denver Broncos, which Stafford and the Lions destroyed at Mile High 45-10, that won their division and won a playoff game. Or the Raiders from 2011…that finished 8-8 and Stafford led a comeback win on the road…had the Raiders won one more game then they would have been division champs. Obviously none of this qualifies because it doesn’t quite fit your narrative… 
If you want to consider those signature wins against great teams you’re more than welcome to. I don’t know why opinions are so difficult for you
Let me make my opinion super duper clear:
The 2013-2016 Lions were a playoff caliber team overall
If Stafford had played better, especially at the tail end of 2013, the Lions likely won a playoff game
Yes wins and losses are a team stat but Stafford has an uninspiring .106 record against winning teams. You point to a few times Stafford and the Lions beat good teams, but you think those were ‘signature wins’? Beating Tebow and the vaunted Broncos when they started the season 2-6? Sure the Broncos ended up 8-8 and making the playoffs. But that’s telling if that’s the win you would hang your hat on