With Stafford, Lions Must Lead NFL in Deep Pass Rate in 2020

Keep dialing up the deep ball, Darrell Bevell.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Lions threw the deep pass 15.4 percent of the time in 2019 -- the fourth-highest rate in the NFL.

There may not have been a more obvious case in recent years of a playcaller changing a team's offense than the switch from Jim Bob Cooter to Darrell Bevell for the #Lions

2016-18: 10.9% Deep Pass Rate (25th)
2019: 15.4% Deep Pass Rate (4th)https://t.co/Gillc4HIMW
— PFF DET Lions (@PFF_Lions) July 9, 2020

In Bevell's first season calling plays for the Lions, the organization's longtime franchise passer Matthew Stafford experienced a significant uptick in productivity.

He threw for 19 touchdowns and 2,499 yards in just eight games. He suffered a season-ending back injury in Week 9 against the Oakland Raiders.

While throwing for nearly 20 TDs, he threw just five interceptions, finishing with an interception rate of 1.7 -- his lowest interception rate since 2010.

And it all came while he threw the deep ball a league-leading 19.2 percent of the time, according to PFF.

Matthew Stafford likely will have his name among the most pass attempts beyond 20+ yards if he is able to stay healthy in 2020

Prior to his season-ending injury, Stafford led the NFL with 56 deep attempts through Week 9 in 2019 and had a deep rate of 19.2% (1st)#OnePride https://t.co/npOKLJV59J
— PFF DET Lions (@PFF_Lions) May 10, 2020

The 12th-year passer was also on pace for a significant amount of more touchdowns and passing yards than he finished with while playing in a full 16 games in 2018.

During the '18 campaign when ex-Detroit offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter was still calling the plays, Stafford -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft -- finished with 21 passing TDs and 3,777 yards through the air.

Cooter's time as OC (2016-18) saw the Lions throw the deep ball at a 10.9 percent clip, which ranked 25th in the league during that three-year span.

The change from Cooter to Bevell rejuvenated Stafford's career.

And it also doesn't hurt that the former Georgia passer has an elite No. 1 wideout in Kenny Golladay to throw to.

Golladay came down with five TD receptions of 25 yards or more a year ago -- tied for the league lead in the department, according to Pro Football Focus.

Most 25+ yard TD receptions in 2019:

▫️ Kenny Golladay - 5
▫️ Mecole Hardman - 5
▫️ Darius Slayton - 5 pic.twitter.com/M6I3lUTdJ1
— PFF (@PFF) July 1, 2020

There's no doubt in my mind that if Stafford and Golladay each stay healthy for an entire season, Stafford will finish with a deep pass rate that hovers around 20 percent and is good enough to lead the league.

And Stafford finishing with a league-leading deep pass rate is a must if the Lions' offense wants to be clicking on all cylinders in 2020.

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