After 13 seasons in the NFL, Matthew Stafford finally has a Super Bowl ring. Stafford spent 12 seasons in Detroit, where he made three playoff appearances but never managed to earn a win in the postseason. The former Lions QB was traded to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason in hopes of making his Super Bowl dreams a reality, and just one year into the experiment they achieved their ultimate goal.
After the win, many fans on social media were quick to declare that Stafford had just cemented his Hall of Fame case, while others feel that the 34-year-old still has a bit to prove before he's worthy of being enshrined in Canton. The Super Bowl ring certainly helps his case, as do his impressive career numbers, but his inability to compete with the Lions has some feeling he still needs to do more before earning his place among the all-time greats, as do his lack of significant career accolades.
With that in mind, here are two reasons why Matthew Stafford is still not a Hall of Famer even after winning Super Bowl 56 against the Bengals.
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2 reasons Matthew Stafford is not a Hall of Famer yet
2. He doesn't have the career accolades
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback certainly helped his case to eventually make the Hall of Fame with his Super Bowl victory on Sunday night, but that far from guarantees his entry. If the 34-year-old were to retire tomorrow, his resume, despite winning a ring, would be rather lackluster.
For one, Stafford has just one Pro Bowl appearance across his 13 seasons in the NFL. While Pro Bowl honors aren't exactly representative of a player's Hall of Fame candidacy, the fact that Stafford was only once selected to the game doesn't bode well for his case for Canton. Even quarterbacks such as Mitchell Trubisky, Vince Young, and Derek Anderson have as many Pro Bowl appearances as Stafford. Additionally, Stafford has never been an All-Pro, nor has he won a league MVP award. He even lost out on the Super Bowl MVP to Cooper Kupp, deservedly so.
Sure, individual awards aren't the most important part of the game, but they do reflect upon how impactful a single player was to their team. While it's hard to blame the Lions' lack of success on Stafford, he was never able to overcome the obstacles and ended up getting traded to the Rams in order to secure his first ring. Stafford failed to make more than one Pro Bowl appearance for the Lions, meanwhile teammate and star wide receiver Calvin Johnson racked up several, while also earning multiple All-Pro honors. Having spent a significant part of his career in Detroit isn't an excuse for a lack of Pro Bowl or All-Pro appearances for Stafford.
1. His numbers come from a pass-heavy era
In defense of Stafford's Hall of Fame candidacy, many fans are quick to point out where he ranks among NFL hierarchy in terms of his all-time numbers. It's a valid argument, as Stafford ranks extremely highly on the NFL's all-time passing rankings. At 34 years old, Stafford currently ranks as No. 12 all-time with 49,995 passing yards. He's 12th all-time in passing touchdowns and 11th in pass completions. His name is up there among some of the greatest quarterbacks ever, including Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Brett Favre, and many other greats.
One other name who stands above Stafford in these categories is Matt Ryan, who despite not having a Super Bowl ring (sorry for bringing that up, Falcons fans), has played in the same pass-heavy era as the Rams QB, has won an MVP, and has multiple trips to the Pro Bowl. Eli Manning, who has two Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVPs, and four Pro Bowl appearances also ranks above Stafford in some key all-time passing stats, yet his candidacy to the Hall of Fame is heavily disputed.
If Manning isn't a lock for the Hall of Fame after beating two of the scariest New England Patriots teams of all time in the Super Bowl, it's baffling that Stafford could be considered anything more than a borderline Hall of Famer at this point in his career.
Yes, he has phenomenal career numbers, but when you're a starting quarterback in a pass-heavy era for more than a decade, the numbers are bound to come. Stafford is a quarterback who has been good, but never great, up until this season, when he still led the league with his 17 interceptions.
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