ALLEN PARK -- There might not be a more polarizing athlete in Detroit than Matthew Stafford.

The Lions quarterback has rewritten the record book. He’s put up some numbers never before seen in the history of this game. He was the fastest player ever to 25,000 yards, then 30,000 yards, then 35,000 yards. Against Minnesota, he became the faster player ever to 40,000 yards. He passed Johnny Unitas that day to move into the top 20 on the all-time passing list, too. A week later, he passed Joe Montana.

Those are big names and huge numbers. Now Stafford has a place among them. Yet fans still disagree wildly about what exactly it all means.

Some think Stafford’s historic production is evidence of just how good he is, despite playing for a historical loser. Others think that production is just stats-stuffing from a guy who has never been good enough to win anything at all.

Around and around we go.

But what’s interesting is while that debate continues to rage locally, the national take on the same guy is far more uniform. Scouts, players, analysts -- you name it, they love him. Opinion has always been higher on Stafford outside of Detroit than inside it. And that definitely includes coaches, too.

“He’s feeling it right now, no question," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said this week. "I think he’s comfortable with his receivers, I think he’s really gelled with Darrell Bevell, the coordinator. They do a lot of things now. They can stretch you with no-back formations, they’ve got some really good play-action passes and screens. Stafford’s a lot more athletic than most people think, he can scramble.

“They’re a handful. They are a handful. So, we have a lot of respect.”

Of course you would expect Gruden to laud Stafford, considering Oakland will host Detroit on Sunday. Coaches aren’t really in the habit of trashing quarterbacks they’re about to see, even the ones worth trashing.

But Gruden is far from alone, as coaches have lined up to lavish praise on Stafford all season long.

“He is one of the most talented throwers I’ve ever seen, from high school days to Georgia and now,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said ahead of the opener. "I love the way he plays. Love his toughness. Everybody that I know that knows him raves about the type of character he has. I’m a big fan of Matt, and I’ve really enjoyed watching him over the years.”

Stafford had a decent game against the Cardinals, throwing for 385 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. But he also led just one touchdown drive in the last 33:45 of regulation, none at all in overtime and nearly threw a game-losing interception deep in his own territory in the extra frame.

But it’s been mostly a steady climb since.

He threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay to beat the Chargers the following week, then led a 20-0 run to put away the Eagles in Philadelphia.

“He’s been a great quarterback for many years,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. “He’s got a big arm.”

Sure does. Against Kansas City, he used that big arm to stage a fourth-quarter comeback against Patrick Mahomes and the mighty Chiefs. Stafford threw three touchdown passes in that game, two of which went to Golladay. One of them, Stafford somehow threaded through four defenders. The other, capped a go-ahead drive with 2:31 left.

Of course, Mahomes marched right back the other way to beat Detroit anyway. But that didn’t help Matt LaFleur sleep any better -- and he said, unprompted, that Stafford was an elite quarterback.

“They’re pushing the ball down the field,” the Packers coach said before a game against Detroit on Monday Night Football. "You know, Matthew Stafford, I think he is an elite quarterback. He is a natural thrower. He is extremely accurate. I haven’t really gone against him too many times on teams that I’ve been on, but we all watch the same tape, and I’ve always thought he was an elite quarterback.”

The “elite” thing has been a debate for years, as Stafford piled up elite numbers while playing for a decidedly non-elite team. And this year has been more of the same. Detroit is just 3-3-1 through seven games, and buried in ninth place in the NFC.

Then again, Stafford is also the biggest reason the Lions are even .500 at all. Their running game has actually produced even less this year, and now is without starter Kerryon Johnson. Then their defense plummeted to 31st in the league two weeks ago after allowing Minnesota to have its best offensive day since 2014.

But Stafford still did his part, completing 30 of 45 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns that day, all of which went to Marvin Jones, and the last of which drew Detroit within five points with 3:10 remaining. Alas, the defense couldn’t get off the field and Detroit lost the game.

“I think Stafford is playing outstanding,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “Maybe the best I’ve ever seen him. He’s throwing the ball into a lot of tight windows, he’s pulling the trigger, he’s still scrambling like he has. I feel like he’s making the right reads, getting the ball out quick.”

A week later, Stafford helped snap Detroit’s losing streak with his best game of the season. Without a viable running game, the Lions actually threw the ball on every third down for the game. And Stafford still completed 12 of 13 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s one of the best passers in the league," Giants coach Pat Shurmur said. “When receivers are running around one-on-one, he gives them a chance.”

Only seven of Stafford’s 32 passes hit the ground that day, including one drop by Ty Johnson and another throwaway. And in the second half, he didn’t throw any incompletions at all. His passer rating was a toasty 129.4, his best game yet in what is shaping up to be the best season of his career.

Stafford now ranks among the six best quarterbacks in the game by most major statistical measures, including yards per game (fourth), yards per attempt (fifth), touchdowns (second) and QB rating (sixth). And that has given the Lions hope that their season is not over yet, despite so much else going wrong.

It’s certainly scaring the hell out of the Raiders, anyway. Just like it has every other coach who has faced him this season.

“I think the big thing that Matt does a great job of is he protects the offense at the line of scrimmage,” Gruden said. "He doesn’t get fooled often. If you blow a coverage, he shreds you. If he sees a blitz, he throws it to his hot receiver or he fixes it and changes the play. He’s sharp. His experience is very, very valuable to their success, and he plays with a really quick tempo. I mean he’s very fast mentally -- forget about the arm talent, and all of the different plays and talented players they have -- he’s just a very quick-minded player that doesn’t miss much.”