Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard knows the challenge of facing Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford first hand.
Sheppard played against Stafford during his college days at LSU, when Stafford was at SEC rival Georgia. He faced Stafford again in the NFL, when he played for the New York Giants and Stafford was with the Lions. And the two played one season together as teammates in Detroit.
“You still see it on tape,” Sheppard said Thursday, Dec. 11. “I mean, I was just watching tape on him and I saw him make a linebacker drift 3 yards and just put it right there behind his ear and kind of wink. I’m like, ‘(expletive)'”
Stafford, in his 17th NFL season, is having an MVP-caliber year.
He leads the NFL with 35 touchdown passes and a 113.1 passer rating. He set an NFL record by throwing 28 touchdowns without an interception earlier this year. And he has the Rams (9-3) in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
L.A. can clinch a postseason spot with a win Sunday over the Lions at Sofi Stadium.
“Hall of Fame quarterback,” Sheppard said. “And Matthew’s a teammate of mine, have the utmost respect for him. I really do, man. To be playing at the level that he’s playing at, at his age, is pretty remarkable.”
One of the most remarkable parts of Stafford’s game, and something he’s done since his early days with the Lions, is his ability to throw no-look passes.
Stafford, 37, has a knack for moving defenders one way with his eyes and throwing the ball a different direction past unsuspecting defenders.
Sheppard said he remembers the sinking feeling of Stafford completing a no-look pass on him, and he offered simple advice to his defense about the practice this week.
“I tell the guys, in zone coverage don’t trust his eyes because he’s going to lie to you,” Sheppard said. “Do not trust his eyes, and then you try to train people, ‘Well, read the front shoulder tip,’ and then I had some guys say, ‘Well, Coach, his shoulder tip was over there and he threw it over there so what do I read?'”
Rather than change technique, Sheppard said it’s important for zone defenders to stay in tune with their details and landmarks in pass coverage this week.
“He goes against all that, all that coaching that you do, all that guru stuff we talk in the offseason, you can throw that out the window this week,” Sheppard said. “Just be detailed within what we do and not let them control anything because I think they get into games and they jump on people and they like to control the situation a lot, which is OK, that’s what everybody wants to do. So just understand that, understand who we’re facing.”
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard: ‘Remarkable’ how Matthew Stafford is playing
Reporting by Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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