On Sunday, the NFL’s Wild Card playoff weekend will feature an intriguing matchup when the Los Angeles Rams head east to take on the Detroit Lions.
While most expected the Lions to be in the playoffs and win the NFC North, very few, if any, felt the Rams would be here — in fact, some predicted they would be downright terrible this season.
The Rams look somewhat different than they did two years ago when they won the Super Bowl, but they still have quarterback Matthew Stafford, who will play in his old stomping grounds on Sunday.
Per Colton Pouncy, Stafford downplayed the significance of playing a postseason game in the stadium he called home for many years.
Matthew Stafford asked if it’s bittersweet playing the Lions:
“No. I’m excited to go play anybody, anywhere, in the playoffs at this point. We were a team that, at the beginning of the season, nobody gave us a chance to be at the position that we’re in.”
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) January 10, 2024
Stafford was the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Lions, and he injected a bit of life into a Lions franchise that had long been a laughingstock.
He teamed with star wide receiver Calvin Johnson to take Detroit to the playoffs three times in the 2010s, but ultimately, the duo didn’t have enough help to make the team into a legitimate power.
Stafford was traded to the Rams prior to the 2021 season for Jared Goff, and Goff has seemingly raised his game over the past couple of seasons.
Goff quarterbacked Detroit to a 12-5 record this season while helping them rank in the top five in points and total yards.
Meanwhile, Stafford has bounced back from a dismal 2022 campaign with the help of sensational rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, who set a new NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie.
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