For a dozen years, Matthew Stafford watched the NFL’s playoff carnival go off either without him, or with his role limited to bit player.
He threw for 49,995 regular-season yards and 282 touchdowns for the Detroit Lions but had virtually nothing tangible (other than a lot of money, of course) to show for it. Three meager wild-card appearances. Three losses by an average of 13.7 points.
There was lots of couch time watching not just great quarterbacks play in, and win, big games, but even guys without his talent.