The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears are in the national spotlight on Thanksgiving in a matchup of two teams going through nightmare seasons.
At least one team will go home happy, right?
The Lions are 0-9-1 and the Bears are 3-7, losers of five straight.
These are the two longest active winless streaks in the NFL, taking away much luster from the matchup.
But there is one more fascinating stat from this game and it has to do with Matthew Stafford.
The Lions (10 games) & Bears (5 games) enter their Thanksgiving Day meeting on the two longest active winless streaks in the NFL.
The Lions are winless in 18-consecutive games (0-17-1) in which Matthew Stafford does not start at QB (last win 2010 Week 17). pic.twitter.com/bz9ejB7LUV
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 25, 2021
That’s right, the Lions are winless in their last 18 tries without Stafford at quarterback.
We have to go all the way back to 2010 to find when the team won without their former franchise signal-caller.
When will this misery end for Lions fans?
Seeking A New Beginning
The Lions did Stafford a favor by trading him to the Los Angeles Rams.
In exchange for Stafford and for taking on Jared Goff‘s huge contract, the Rams sent Detroit some draft picks as well.
It was clear from the start that Goff was not showing up as the new franchise quarterback.
But it was tough to expect things to go this poorly.
The Lions are stuck with him through at least 2022 as they try to build the team around him in the interim.
Ultimately, this will end up being a good strategy.
The Lions roster is brutal to look at and they can get other pieces in place before throwing a rookie quarterback out there.
So it is Goff’s team this year and likely next year as well.
Jared Goff has a career record of 0-15-1 when Sean McVay isn’t his head coach. #Lions #OnePride
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) November 21, 2021
His simple task now is to win just one game this season.
Thanksgiving is his best shot as the Bears appear to be the easiest team left on the schedule.
Well, no opponent is necessarily easy for the Lions to beat.
But if they lose Thursday, this Stafford-less streak may continue on into 2022.
NEXT: Jared Goff Trying To Make A Statement On Thanksgiving
