Quarterback Matthew Stafford and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter have picked up right where they left off the second half of last season.
Stafford has played the best stretch of football in his career over that span. Over the last nine games, including Sunday's win in Indianapolis, Stafford has completed 71.1 percent of his passes for 22 touchdowns, just two interceptions and has a passer rating of 112.5. He has a 7-2 record over that stretch.
"I think I would say that when he's in command and running things, he puts a lot of pressure on the defense, he doesn't give them much time," head coach Jim Caldwell said of Stafford's performance in Sunday's 39-35 win over the Colts.
"He's been very, very accurate when things have been spread out, he spreads it around. I think you guys saw a little bit of, I mean from midseason on, he's been playing the way he's playing right now."
Just how well is Stafford playing right now?
With a passer rating of 128.6 at Indianapolis, Stafford became the first Lions quarterback since at least 1950 to register a passer rating of at least 115.0 in four consecutive games.
He started right where he left off the 2015 season as he finished with three straight games featuring a passer rating over 115.0 (148.6 at NO, 118.6 vs. SF and 119.4 at Chi).
In helping to lead the Lions to a comeback victory in Indianapolis – the 21st such comeback win in his career – Stafford was 9-of-11 passing for 119 yards with a touchdown and a 142.0 rating in the fourth quarter. That rating was the best in the NFL in the fourth quarter Week 1.
The question now is which team will be able to cool him off, because Stafford is on a roll.
Here's a look at some other key stats – good and bad – after one week of football:
The top three offensive and defensive grades given out by Pro Football Focus in Sunday's win at Indianapolis:
Offense: C Travis Swanson ( 3.3), RB Theo Riddick ( 2.9), G Larry Warford ( 2.8)
Defense: DE Kerry Hyder ( 2.5), S Tavon Wilson ( 0.9), LB DeAndre Levy ( 0.6), S Rafael Bush ( 0.6)
The bottom three offensive and defensive grades given out by Pro Football Focus in Sunday's win at Indianapolis:
Offense: TE Eric Ebron (-3.0), G Laken Tomlinson (-1.7), WR Golden Tate (-1.0)
Defense: DT Khyri Thornton (-2.6), LB Tahir Whitehead (-2.2), DE Devin Taylor (-2.2)
- The Lions recorded 21 plays of at least 10-plus yards vs. the Colts, which is the most in the NFL through Week 1.
- P Sam Martin tied the second-highest single-game net punting average (55.5) in NFL history since net punting became an official statistic in 1976 (minimum qualifier of four punts). Martin's 55.5 net punting average also set a new team single-game record.
- Martin's gross punting average of 58.8 was the highest by a Lions punter since at least 1960, surpassing the previous best of 57.3 by Hall Famer Yale Lary.
- The Lions are tied for first in red zone offense with a touchdown percentage of 100. They were 4-for-4 scoring touchdowns in the red zone last week.
- The Lions' defense allowed 35 points Sunday, tied for the fourth most in the NFL Week 1 of the season.
- Ameer Abdullah collected 120 yards from scrimmage (63 rush, 57 receiving) and Theo Riddick had 108 total yards (45 rush, 63 receiving). By both running backs surpassing 100 total yards, it marked the first time since Nov. 28, 2013 vs. Green Bay (Reggie Bush, 182; Joique Bell, 128) that the Lions had two running backs total over 100 yards from scrimmage in a game.
- 58.3 percent of all Detroit's runs in Week 1 gained at least 4.0 yards. That's the fourth highest percentage behind Washington (66.7), Pittsburgh (60.0) and Carolina (59.4).
- Not one player in the NFC rushed for 100 yards in Week 1. Only two reached the mark in the entire league (DeAngelo Williams 143; Lamar Miller, 106).
- Tahir Whitehead struggled in pass coverage vs. the Colts. The Colts connected on nine of their 11 attempts throwing his direction for 93 yards and two touchdowns, per PFF.
- With three receptions for 35 yards Week 1, WR Anquan Boldin surpassed Andre Reed (13,198) for 16th place on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list with 13,230.
- The Lions allowed the Colts to score points on 60 percent of their drives (6-of-10), tied with Washington for the highest percentage in Week 1.
- DT Haloti Ngata* *played his 150th career game last week. Ngata currently ranks fourth in career games among active defensive tackles with 150.
- Abdullah is second in the NFC in first downs gained with seven.
