The second reunion between Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions at Ford Field had a similar melody to the first.
Stafford, who quarterbacked the Lions from 2009-20, returned to the stadium as a member of the visiting Los Angeles Rams for the 2024 season opener. He was once again welcomed with a chorus of boos from Lions supporters during pregame warmups upon taking the field.
Meanwhile, the quarterback he was traded for, Jared Goff, was hailed well with chants of his name and boisterous cheers.This was evocative of the meeting between these two clubs, in the same arena, in January during the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. In that game, the Lions narrowly knocked out the Rams by a single point, 24-23.
On Sunday, to open the regular season, the Lions once again won over their former quarterback with a 26-20 victory.
Asked if he was over the greeting to his comeback, which included the “Jared Goff” chants and boos, the veteran passer nodded his head.
“I am, yeah,” Stafford answered.
Stafford doubled down when asked whether Detroit seemed like simply another location to play at this time in his career.
“Yep.”The Lions and Stafford have underwent divergent courses since they parted ways ahead to the 2021 season. Stafford won the Super Bowl in his first season with his new squad, while the Lions and Goff finished 3-13-1.
However, Detroit has rapidly reloaded into a squad that is seen as a Super Bowl contender under the leadership of Dan Campbell and Goff’s comeback play. On Sunday, the Lions stuttered for much of the second half but ultimately willed itself to a win after Goff led a late game-tying drive to send the game to overtime.Stafford had a solid day Sunday, outplaying Goff from a statistical perspective. His chemistry with Cooper Kupp was on full show, as the duo connected 14 times for 110 yards and a score.
In total, the experienced passer threw for 317 yards, one touchdown and one interception. With an offensive line decimated by injuries and top wideout Puka Nacua missing the game with an injury, Stafford changed his approach and succeeded in the short game throughout Sunday’s encounter.
His interception came at an unfavorable time, as it occurred in the end zone when Kerby Joseph snared a throw intended for Cooper Kupp.
However, that effort was not enough to exit the land he used to call home with a victory.
“Look, I thought (Rams coach) Sean (McVay) had a heck of a plan last year, and he had another one this week,” Campbell said. “Now, we threw some wrinkles at him, I think we threw a couple of things at him that it was going to take him a minute to react to. And they did, but at that point, they adjusted swiftly, and Stafford knew exactly what he needed to do. He knew where his outlets were, and certainly, he was going to get rid of the ball. They were going to go a little pace on us, and other things, and attempt to apply a little pressure on us. But I felt he played amazing, I truly did dude, and you know they were. They were bruised up over there and they just kept coming.”
Stafford was complimentary about the audience at Ford Field Sunday. The atmosphere in the building lived up to its claim as one of the greatest in the NFL, forcing many false starts and making it difficult for the visiting squad.
“It was good. I felt it was a nice location to play,” Stafford added. “Crowd was into it. Obviously a terrific football game, it helps, that helps the audience get into it.”
