The nadir of Matthew Stafford's professional career is here. The Detroit Lions starter was benched in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals in favor of Dan Orlovsky after throwing three interceptions.
Stafford, 27, was 20-of-32 for 188 yards and a touchdown against his three picks. The team benched him after he tossed his third pick to Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, which led to an Arizona touchdown. The Cardinals were ahead 35-7 at the time of Stafford's benching, so it's likely preserving his health had as much to do with the move as his performance.