ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Matthew Stafford's season of regression has not been entirely his fault.
He has been hampered by offensive options around him dwindling by the week, a coordinator who either lost his in-game touch or is being directed away from the quarterback’s strengths by the head coach and an offensive line that is likely to permit him to be sacked 40 or more times for the fourth time in five years. He has dealt with a back injury that has lingered for weeks and has been banged up at other points throughout the season.