Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is scheduled to return to Ford Field on Sunday Night Football to play his old team, the Detroit Lions, in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Stafford is accustomed to pressure, having played for the Detroit Lions for an incredible 12 years. He is blamed by many supporters for the team’s lack of a postseason triumph in more than ten years.
The pivotal moment occurred on March 18, 2021, when Stafford was acquired by the Rams in a big transaction that also included two first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, a 2021 third-round pick, and Jared Goff. He led the Rams to victory in Super Bowl LVI, proving that his decision was wise.
Stafford is making his first trip back to Ford Field on Sunday, where he will play in front of supporters who have strong feelings regarding his previous leadership with the Lions.
The Detroit Line, a well-known Lions fan club, announced a “jersey ban” for Sunday’s game on Instagram.
The statement in their article, “We are calling for a Lions-Stafford jersey ban on Sunday,” highlighted a change in viewpoint. This week, Detroit shouldn’t and won’t be honoring him. He is now, to use a sporting analogy, our opponent. He requested to be switched. He desired the simple route with a pre-made winner because he no longer had faith in this franchise.
The fan club threatened to make fun of and seize fans who showed up to the game wearing Lions-Stafford jerseys. They even offered substitutes, like duct tape and writing “WILLIAMS” on the nameplate with a sharpie.
Kelly, the spouse of Matthew Stafford, who is frequently active on Instagram, expressed her dismay in response to the image by saying:
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“Well, this is depressing since it goes against our feelings for this place, but Matthew has always been and always will be the greater guy. Hoping for a fantastic game with no injuries.
The Detroit Lions selected Matthew Stafford with the first overall choice in the 2009 NFL Draft.
With the Lions, Stafford experienced both victories and losses over the years. He guided the team to the postseason in 2011 and won several awards. But the Lions had a difficult season in 2012, going 4–12 overall.
In the seasons that followed, Stafford remained a vital member of the Lions’ offense, setting records and winning individual honors. He was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, and he was instrumental in the team’s victory in Super Bowl LVI during his rookie campaign.
Stafford had difficulties in the 2022 season due to injuries, one of which being a spinal cord injury that forced an early season conclusion. The Rams had one of the worst seasons in NFL history, with the most defeats for a reigning Super Bowl winner.
Matthew Stafford tied for 11th place in touchdowns, tied for 104th place in interceptions, and placed 11th in yards (3,965) during the 2023 NFL regular season. With a quarterback rating (QBR) of 63.7, he took sixth place. Significantly, Stafford showed excellent ball security by not fumbling at all, which is in contrast to his previous record of several fumbles in each of his first 14 seasons. Stafford performed exceptionally well in the last three weeks of the season, completing games with three touchdowns or more, a 63.1% completion percentage, and a remarkable touchdown-to-interception ratio of 10 to 1. This impressive performance resulted in an outstanding passer rating of 111.
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