Matthew Stafford didn’t get a warm reception when he made his return to the city he called home for 12 years. It made sense; his Los Angeles Rams were the only thing standing between the Detroit Lions and their first playoff win since 1991.
But while Lions fans may have swallowed hard and buried the fond memories of their former franchise quarterback with boos and middle fingers, it didn’t take long for Stafford to remind them of the glory days. The times he was slinging impossible, no-look passes to wideouts in games few people were watching because his Detroit teams were, for the most part, bad.
Throws like this one:
look straight, throw left pic.twitter.com/CPsdQhenIA
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 15, 2024
That’ll go down as a six-yard checkdown to a blocking tight end. But it was a stark reminder that, even at the brink of 36 years old, Stafford can still sling it. And fans took notice.