ALLEN PARK -- Matthew Stafford is the NFL's quickest draw through four games.

The Detroit Lions quarterback is firing passes an average 2.24 seconds after the ball is snapped, according to Pro Football Focus. That edges Denver's Peyton Manning (2.35 seconds) for the fastest time in football.

Detroit's Matthew Stafford is getting rid of the ball faster than anyone in the NFL. And it's working for him.

New England's Tom Brady had the quickest draw last year at 2.47 seconds.

Stafford said quicker passes were part of the game plan coming into the season, although it's surely correlated to how defenses have played Detroit as well.

Opponents are dropping their safeties deep into coverage, often shading toward receiver Calvin Johnson, and Detroit has seized on the shorter stuff. Receiver Nate Burleson and tailback Reggie Bush have prospered that way.

Bush has 179 yards receiving, third among tailbacks through four games.

"I remember we ran one play, and I was blocking, Matt had to hold it for a little bit," left guard Rob Sims said. "And he just went 'Reggie!' Got his attention, and just dumped off the ball real quick.

"That's the kind of stuff that goes on out there sometimes. It helps having a guy like Reggie."

The emphasis on the quick passes hasn't hurt Detroit's production. Even without the long ball as a staple, the Lions are one of just five teams averaging at least 400 yards per game (404.8), and they're fourth at 30.5 points per game.

Stafford is completing 64.1 percent of his passes, which would be a career high over the course of a full season. He has seven touchdowns and just three interceptions.

And his emphasis on the quick strike has the hidden payoff of keeping him upright. He's been sacked on just 1.9 percent of his dropbacks, the best rate in the NFL.

The offensive line has been terrific, but Stafford's quick trigger helps as well.

"I'm not a guy that wants to sit around and hold the ball and take a bunch of sacks," Stafford said. "I'll throw an incompletion before I take a sack. I don't like lost yardage plays, just like everybody else. That's just kind of in my makeup, to get rid of the ball rather than sit there and put my offensive line in a bad spot."