Matthew Stafford is set to take the field for his first playoff game in Detroit tonight on Sunday Night Football. Just a few years ago, it’s a reality Detroit Lions fans would have been excited for as their franchise quarterback would finally have led them to a coveted home playoff game.
Instead, Stafford is making his Detroit playoff debut on the opposite sideline as the Los Angeles Rams‘ starting quarterback after the Lions shipped him off in a 2021 trade that has now come full circle.
Matthew Stafford Trade Details
Rams receive:
- Matthew Stafford
Lions receive:
- Jared Goff
- 2021 third-round pick
- 2022 first-round pick
- 2023 first-round pick
Why Did Detroit Move on From Stafford?
Stafford accomplished quite a bit during his time with the Lions. He remains the leading passer in franchise history after throwing for 45,109 yards, 282 touchdowns, and 144 interceptions across 12 seasons in Detroit — starting all of the team’s games just nine of those years.
The Lions struggled to find much success during Stafford’s run with the franchise, however, making just three playoff appearances (losing in the Wild Card round all three times) and posting only four seasons with nine or more wins.
Those woes, including a 5-11 season in 2020, led Detroit to hire Dan Campbell as its new head coach and Brad Holmes as its general manager. With those changes, Stafford and the organization reportedly mutually agreed it was the right time for both to move in different directions.
It’s a move that quickly paid off for the Rams as they took a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl 56 — the franchise’s second-ever Super Bowl title.
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Stafford led the way that season, throwing for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions in 17 regular-season starts. Meanwhile, wide receiver Cooper Kupp was named Super Bowl MVP.
The move has also worked out decently well for the Lions, though it took some time to fully pan out. Detroit bottomed out at 3-13-1 in 2021, then improved to 9-8 last season before going 12-5 this year and winning their first division title in 34 years on their way to taking home the No. 3 seed in the NFC and, thus, earning a home playoff game.
Goff has been at the heart of that success, throwing for 4,000+ yards in each of the last two seasons. He tallied 4,575 passing yards for 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across 17 regular-season games this year, helping fuel Detroit’s historic season.
Now, the Lions’ quarterback of old is set to square off with their new signal-caller in a playoff battle with plenty on the line for both teams.
Will Goff and Detroit show that the franchise’s move for him paid off? Or will Stafford continue showing other factors were a more significant part of the Lions’ lack of success during his time at the helm?
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!
