ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The question has come up often this season, posed to Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia, to offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, to other players and even to Matthew Stafford himself.
What has been going on with the franchise’s quarterback this year? Why has he played at a level that hasn’t been commensurate with what he has done in the past? And what, as he finishes his 10th season in Detroit -- another season without a winning record, a division title or, likely, a playoff berth -- does it all mean for the present and the future of Stafford with the Lions?