Matthew Stafford Improved as a Quarterback When Calvin Johnson Retired

Read more on how Matthew Stafford improved in almost every statistical category once Calvin Johnson retired.

For a long time -- and even now to a lesser extent -- many have given a majority of the credit of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford's prolific passing numbers to Calvin Johnson. 

Yes, Johnson was a rare specimen that might be the most gifted receiver in the history of the NFL. That’s no hyperbole. 

It never hurts to have a player of his caliber on a roster.

Since Johnson retired at the end of the 2015 season, there have now been four years of Stafford without "Megatron." 

With a decent sample size now on the stat sheet without Johnson, how has Stafford held up? In short and in somewhat counter-intuitive fashion, Stafford has gotten better.

Looking at the raw data, the Lions' signal-caller has improved in just about every major category.

With Johnson from 2009-2015, Stafford started 93 games, threw for 25,976 yards, 163 touchdowns and 98 interceptions -- good for a passer rating of 85.8.

Without Johnson, from 2016-19, Stafford started 56 games, threw for 15,049 yards, 93 touchdowns and 36 interceptions -- good for a passer rating of 95.9.

In terms of efficiency, Stafford was able to limit his turnovers and increase his completion and touchdown percentage once Johnson left the franchise, resulting in a higher passer rating.

On a per-game basis, his yards-per-game total went down from 279.3 yards per outing to 268.7 yards after Johnson left. 

However, Stafford’s number of attempts also decreased from 39.7 passes per game to 35.8. 

Looking at the yards gained per pass, Stafford actually improved from 7.04 yards per pass attempt to 7.51 yards from 2016-19.

For an easier juxtaposition of the two eras, here is a table that illustrates Stafford’s passing statistics with and without Johnson.

Now, there is more at play when breaking down the numbers than simply taking into account Johnson being on the team. 

There have been new players added and subtracted, new schemes, new coaches and Stafford’s development that all factor into the equation. 

Wide receivers Golden Tate, Marvin Jones Jr., Kenny Golladay and Anquan Boldin have all had really nice seasons with Stafford at the helm over the last four years.

Needless to say, it doesn’t appear that Stafford needed Johnson to be successful. 

If anything, Stafford’s game has improved without the safety blanket of Johnson.

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