Matthew Stafford didn’t get to taste postseason success during his 12 years with the Lions. He led the team to the playoffs three times, but Detroit was one-and-done each time, losing in the wild-card round in 2011, 2014 and 2016.
But in his first season with the Rams, he not only got his first taste of a playoff win, but he ate the entire Super Bowl pie. Los Angeles won Super Bowl LVI over the Bengals, completely rewriting the narrative of Stafford’s career.
After winning one ring, Stafford is even more motivated to win another.
“I think the biggest thing for me now is getting a taste of hoisting the Lombardi and what it’s like to celebrate that with a team. It only makes you want it that much more,” Stafford said in an interview with Bleacher Report. “Excited about the opportunity of starting over again since each year is a brand new year to try to figure out a way to do it again.”
Stafford said he’s going to approach the offseason “the exact same way” this year after winning a championship, and he’ll do the same when the regular season rolls around, too. That’s the key to avoiding any sort of Super Bowl hangover, he believes.
It helps to have the core of the team returning alongside Stafford, with Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, Jalen Ramsey and Jordan Fuller all back. And with the additions of Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson, the Rams are in good shape as they pursue a repeat.
Specifically when it comes to Robinson, Stafford is looking forward to working with the former Bears receiver.
“I had a ton of respect for him when I had a front-row seat to watch him do his thing in Chicago when I was in Detroit,” Stafford said. “I was excited to add a player like that, but when you add players like that it means you’re moving on from other guys. We traded Robert Woods soon after that, and I have so much respect for Woody and what he did for me when I first got here. It’s a great thing, but it’s a tough thing all at the same time. This is an unbelievable business that we play in. Our teams change year in and year out, but adding a guy like Allen is exciting. He’s a really talented player, and I’m excited to work with him.”
Repeating in the NFL is incredibly challenging, but the Rams are equipped to at least make the playoffs and push for a second consecutive Super Bowl.