Matthew Stafford spent 12 years being cheered on by the Detroit faithful during his time with the Lions. He was mostly beloved by fans there, with the exception of perhaps a small group who felt like he didn’t revive the franchise like he was expected to as a former No. 1 overall pick.
Sunday night will be Stafford’s first game back in Detroit since being traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. It’s also the Lions’ first home playoff game since 1993, so the roof at Ford Field will probably feel like it’s ready to blow with all the noise in the stands.
Stafford is fully aware of the storylines surrounding this game, but he’s trying to treat it like any other contest. He also doesn’t expect Lions fans to receive him well the way they did for over a decade, knowing he’s the enemy now.
“I’m not expecting anything, to be honest with you,” Stafford said of what type of reception he anticipates. “I was asked this question a couple of times by friends and family. I think the biggest thing for me is just go experience whatever that experience is going to be. I understand what the people of Detroit and what the city of Detroit meant to me and my time and my career, what they meant to my family. I hope they feel that back. But at the same time, I’m not a stranger to the situation and understand that I’m the bad guy coming to town. I’m on the other team. They don’t want success for me. So whatever happens, happens. I’m going to go experience it, play the game. Once the ball is snapped, man, let’s go. Two good football teams go compete and see what happens.”
A group of Lions fans that goes by The Detroit Line made some headlines earlier this week by trying to discourage Lions fans from wearing Stafford’s jerseys to the game. They even called it a “jersey ban,” foolishly saying that “Lions Stafford jerseys will not be permitted into Ford Field on Sunday” – a ridiculous claim that would never be enforced.
Stafford isn’t paying attention to any of that, nor does he seem to care what fans are wearing in the stands.
“I don’t pay attention to any of that, to be honest with you,” he said. I’m not looking into the stands. I’ll find my family, give them a wave. Other than that, I imagine there’s going to be a lot of bodies in there. What they’re wearing? I don’t know, but I bet they’ll be having fun.”
Even as Detroit has gone from Stafford’s home for more than a decade to now being enemy territory, he still has a ton of love for the city and the fans who have supported the Lions for so long. He and his family live in Los Angeles now but he spent a good portion of his life in Detroit and has many memories to reflect on during his time with the Lions.
“Close,” he said of how he describes his relationship with Detroit. “I had a lot of experiences there over 12 years. All my daughters were born there. My wife and I went through things there that the team, and the city, the group, the town, everybody supported. So I have nothing but great memories there. Obviously didn’t get it done on the field as much as I wish we could have. The people that I was lucky enough to know and grow with are people that I’m still close with today and mean a lot to me. So it’s a special place for me and my family. I have a lot of great memories there.”
He and the Rams are trying to pull off an upset on the road against a team that went 12-5, so they know it’s going to be a big challenge for them to get the job done and advance to the divisional round.
The talk all week has been about Stafford returning to Detroit and Jared Goff facing the Rams, but Stafford knows it’ll just be another game when the ball is snapped.
“There’s a lot leading up to it, obviously. I understand all that,” Stafford said. “But once the ball snapped, man, let’s go play football. A ton of respect for who they are as a team and what they’ve built over the last few years and it’ll be a big challenge for us.”