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Would a better quarterback make this Jacksonville Jaguars team a Super Bowl contender? No, probably not. But Matthew Stafford would make it a playoff squad.
That’s according to Ryan Matthews over at Pride of Detroit who replaced each team’s starting quarterback with Stafford and simulated the 2016 NFL season 31 times to see how many teams would find playoff success with Stafford at the helm.
And what were the results?
Record: 9-7—AFC South Champions.
Difference: +6
Stafford’s stats: 326 of 511, 3,727 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 97.2 passer rating.
What happened: Before the start of this season, I had to make a special exception; I had to make a change to reinvigorate this franchise with new life:
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Of course, when it came time to select a playbook, I had to go with one that was an air raid attack. Durst and Stafford ended up bonding over more than just their affinity for wearing ball caps backwards.
Somehow, someway, with the 25th ranked offense and 17th ranked defense, the Jaguars won the AFC South and hosted a home playoff game against the 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers... which they won 51-45 in OT.
When asked to comment on the victory, coach Durst had two words for the media: “My way.”
The next task? Head into Foxborough and beat the 14-2 Patriots in the Divisional Round. I’ll save you all the trouble: The Durst-led Jaguars just couldn’t keep up. I’m going to see this franchise through once I’m done running Virtual Stafford through the ringer. There’s potential here.
Want to see what Stafford was able to do on the 30 other teams in the NFL? Check out Matthews’ article here.