Lions quarterback 
Stafford, 23, who played at Highland Park High in Dallas, was the No. 1 pick in the draft and his first task as a professional was to save a franchise coming off an 0-16 season.
Brees, 32, who quarterbacked at Westlake High in Austin, 200 miles from Dallas, was a second-round pick who some thought would never overcome his 6-foot frame or a major shoulder injury four years into his career.
Stafford has lived up to the hype.
Brees has proven his critics wrong.
“Regardless of how we got here, we’re all trying to make our mark and definitely have been impressed with what he’s been able to do,” Brees said of Stafford in a conference call Tuesday.
“He’s a much better player than I was at 23 (laughing). Obviously he was a top draft pick and so there was a lot of expectation coming into the league for him and that brings a lot of pressure, but I think he’s handled that very well.”
For the first time in NFL history, a playoff game will feature two 5,000-yard passers in Brees (5,476) and Stafford (5,038). The duo’s combined passing yardage total of 10,514 yards is the most ever for opposing starting quarterbacks in a playoff game, and will surpass the mark of 8,888 set by Peyton Manning (4,500) and Brees (4,388) in Super Bowl XLIV.
“He is playing this position as good as you can possibly play it,” Stafford said of Brees. “Completing a bunch of balls, still being aggressive. Drew is obviously an extremely accurate passer. They mix it up well. They throw short, intermediate, deep; they do it all. He is fun to watch. He is a great player.”
Brees is playing the game better than anyone right now, including the Packers' Aaron Rodgers, who’s favored to win league-MVP honors.
Brees set NFL single-season passing records for yards (5,476), completions (468), completion percentage (71.2), 300-yard games (13) and consecutive 300-yard games (seven).
Stafford set team passing records for yards (5,038), touchdowns (41) and passer rating (97.2) as the Lions scored a team-record 474 points and gained 6,337 total net yards, the most in franchise history.
Stafford is playing the game so well, at such a young age, the imagination can only wonder to what the future might have in store for him and the Lions offense.
“It hasn’t just been numbers with Matt, it’s been comebacks in games, it’s been adversity, it’s the manner in which he’s done it,” said Lions coach Jim Schwartz. “Even considering where we’ve been, you know losing Jahvid (Best) and (Mikel) Leshoure early in training camp and early in the season, put a little bit more pressure on him to do it.”
Brees has had the benefit of the league’s sixth-ranked rushing offense this year (132.6 ypg). A lot of their rushing success stems from Brees and the passing threat, but it’s still a weapon that Brees can lean on.
That’s something Stafford has not been afforded and puts the regular season he just had in a little better perspective.
Stafford was expected to have a terrific running duo in
That meant the offense was only going to go as far as the third-year quarterback with just 13 starts under his belt could take it.
More than 5,000 yards later and 41 touchdowns --- the Lions are in the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
But Stafford is still chasing Brees and it’s not all the passing records he after, either. Brees has a Super Bowl ring, just like the other elite quarterbacks in the league who include Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning.
That’s what truly separates Brees and Stafford.
“Win, I mean that is what people are judged by this time of year,” Stafford said. “The fun thing for me is that this offense, a lot of it is on me being able to throw the ball around and that is awesome. I would rather have it that way than go out there and throw eight passes in a game and have us win. It is fun to go out there and sling it around and see what happens.”
Expect to see a great show on primetime Saturday from two of the Lone Star states finest.
