Matthew Stafford stood at the 40-yard line, his hands clasped behind his back, a gray Lions baseball cap on his head, looking like the loneliest person in fast-emptying Ford Field.
The Detroit Lions benched their Golden Boy quarterback, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, early in the third quarter of Sunday’s 42-17 blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Ford Field after he threw his third interception in a meltdown of epic proportions.
The Lions committed six turnovers, gave up a 99-yard touchdown drive and, after falling to 0-5 in what’s shaping up to be a disaster of a year, are now faced with a looming quarterback controversy and no legitimate chance to salvage their season.