Tonight, the Lions are going to face off against the hottest team in the league, on the road. With both starting QBs eclipsing 5000 passing yards on the season, its easy to say that there is some major firepower that is going to be on display. Brees, the current record holder doesnt have much to gain from a win, other than being one step closer to a Super Bowl ring for his other hand. Stafford, on the other hand, has everything to gain, not just in terms of winning the Lions first playoff game in years, but also for his value in the hobby.

Since 2009, he has always been in the shadow of Mark Sanchez when it comes to overall worth, especially after injury plagued seasons took away his 2009 and 2010 production levels. Now that he has finally shown up to the party, bringing his team to the playoffs, and putting them in a good spot to win, collectors are finally latching on. Stafford is turning out to be a great QB, and a win tonight will put a nice cherry on top of this comeback story.

In fact, some of the prices on his cards have jumped to gargantuan levels ever since the Lions punched their ticket to the post season:

2009 Matthew Stafford Exquisite Gold Auto 4 Color Patch

2009 Matthew Stafford National Treasures 3 Color Patch Auto

2009 Matthew Stafford SP Authentic 3 Color Patch Auto

Stafford, with Calvin Johnson and a good running game behind him, could challenge Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for years to come. He will need to match this year’s production with many to follow in order to keep up his value, but number one picks never seem to have a shortage of collectors. Most of the collectors will forget about his mammoth season this year if he falls on his face, but I dont think that looks like it is possible with him. They do play in a very tough division, but that also means lots of national attention when he is successful. I have to say, watching Stafford play this year makes me more weary of the Vikings’ long term prospects in the NFL. However, after seeing people’s money go down the drain during his injury years, only to come back strong this year, has been a great reason to continue hope for rookie based products.

Ill be honest that I am a little nostalgic, only because I pulled a Stafford SPA patch auto back in 2009, and I sold it for pennies on the dollar of what its at now. I never believed he would come back as strong as he has. You have to appreciate the Lions fans out there that stuck around, as they have definitely deserved a good season like this one. After going 0-16, there is nothing lower than can happen for an NFL team, but to come back and make the playoffs a few years later is gold. Gold for Detroit fans and collectors who have waited for this day to come.