Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 137 pass attempts, which is a big reason why the Lions have gotten off to a 3-1 start.

The former Georgia star is now the NFL’s highest-paid player, but his improvements with ball security started when Jim Bob Cooter took over as offensive coordinator.

Stafford told Freep.com this week that he has been lucky on a couple of throws, but added that he’s really focusing on being more careful with the ball:

“It’s good,” Stafford said. “I understand that turnovers in this league are going to happen. We’re doing a really nice job right now of holding onto the ball, and was fortunate a couple times last week (not to throw an interception). But yeah, it’s a big part (of our success).”

Cooter said Stafford has taken on more of a leadership role with the Lions as he’s gotten more comfortable with the offense:

“Hopefully the comfort level is getting higher and higher in this offense and he really intuitively feels and understands where guys are, where guys are going to be,” Cooter said. “He’s doing a better job pushing our receivers, pushing our guys to be at those spots, sort of correcting a guy if his route’s 2 yards short or too tight, too wide, those type of things. They all play a big role in our pass game having success. Now we’ve had good games and bad games in the pass game, but all those things play a role in that sort of turnover game.”

The Lions will try to continue their hot start on Sunday afternoon against the Carolina Panthers. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. Eastern time and can be seen on FOX.