Matthew Stafford dealt with 12 seasons of consistent losing as a member of the Detroit Lions. Despite the Pro Bowl quarterback playing at a high level during that span, he couldn’t lift up the downtrodden organization.
Enter into the equation Stafford being traded to the Los Angeles Rams a year ago on Sunday. For the former No. 1 pick, it was all about contending for a championship.
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With his Rams losing 17-7 to the San Francisco 49ers entering the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game Sunday evening, it sure looked like Stafford was going to go down before the big game again.
That’s when the 33-year-old signal caller put up a career-defining moment. He led Los Angeles to three unanswered fourth-quarter scores, including a 11-yard touchdown strike to Cooper Kupp to pull the Rams within three.
Los Angeles would go on to kick two field goals for a 20-17 win. During this fourth-quarter stretch, Stafford completed 11-of-14 passes for 121 yards. He came through absolutely clutch.
For objective football fans, seeing Stafford earn that elusive Super Bowl appearance in front of his home crowd in Southern California was awesome. So much losing in Detroit. So much good play for a bad franchise.
Stafford and his Rams are now set to host Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in two weeks. Just amazing.