One of the Detroit Lions’ most famous fans — singer and rapper Eminem — is ready for the playoffs. He has taken to X, formally known as Twitter, to hype up the game.
As if it wasn’t already the most anticipated matchup of the Wild Card round.
Eminem’s Social Media Message to Matthew Stafford
A promo video posted on social media by Sunday Night Football on NBC has Eminem in a recording studio, talking to the camera. He is talking directly to one person: Matthew Stafford.
Stafford is now the QB of the Los Angeles Rams, but he spent 12 years with Detroit between 2009 and 2020. He was drafted No. 1 overall by the Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft. With 45,109 passing yards and 282 touchdowns in his Lions career, Stafford is widely regarded as the best quarterback to ever play for Detroit.
The quarterback left Detroit in 2020 when he was traded to the Rams under HC Sean McVay. The Rams traded two first-round picks and QB Jared Goff to get Stafford.
Having only made the playoffs three times since the turn of the millennium (2011, 2014, 2016), Stafford had realized if he was going to win a Super Bowl, he was going to have to move elsewhere.
A message for Matthew Stafford from @Eminem. pic.twitter.com/LJO3np0xSw
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 14, 2024
Despite there being mutual respect between Stafford and Lions fans, they don’t forget.
And one of the most well-known of them all, Eminem, wearing a Barry Sanders, had a message for Stafford. The rapper starts the video by addressing the Lions’ former QB directly. “Stafford. What’d I say?”
The rapper, also known as Marshall Mathers, continued, “You owe me this favor, bro. I was there for you when you won it. I was there for you. I was right there.”
Eminem was a part of the mega lineup of stars that performed the Super Bowl LVI Halftime show in LA, the Super Bowl that Stafford won with the Rams in the 2021 season. That lineup was historic and also included Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J Blige.
It seems this is what Eminem is referring to as he continues, “I rapped for you, Stafford. Bro, I rapped for you.”
Like all fans, Eminem is desperate for a playoff victory. The Lions haven’t won a game in the postseason since 1992, when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 38-6. “Can you just let us have this one?” Eminem asks. “Just this one.”
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The Lions have made the postseason in 2023 for the first time since 2016 as the No. 3 seed in the NFC. Fans in Detroit are used to heartbreak, but Eminem can’t take being knocked out of the playoffs by their former favorite player.
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!