Week 7 Spotlight: Lions QB Jared Goff vs. Rams QB Matthew Stafford
The Lions' most highly anticipated game of the 2021 season -- and by far -- takes place Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Rams, with Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford reuniting with their former franchises.
Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, played 12 seasons in the Motor City, while Goff, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2016 draft, suited up for five seasons with the Rams.
Stafford talked about facing his former team earlier this week.
"In pregame, am I going to be saying, 'Hey' to some old teammates and friends, the Ford family, hopefully, if they make the trip? Absolutely," Stafford said. "I've got nothing but great relationships with people over there, so have a lot of respect for the organization, the team, the ownership."
But, as Stafford added, "It will be just another football game once the ball is snapped."
Through six weeks last season, the two quarterbacks were going through completely different experiences than they are presently.
Stafford was part of a 2-3 Lions team that ended up finishing the year 5-11 and missing out on the playoffs for the fourth straight campaign.
Meanwhile, Goff was a member of a 4-2 Rams squad that finished the season 10-6 and went on to qualify for the postseason for the third time in four years.
Fast-forward to 2021, and boy have things changed.
Stafford now is part of a 5-1 Rams team that looks to be a bonafide Super Bowl contender, while Goff is now a member of a winless squad that looks to be on the verge of finishing with no more than two-three wins.
To make matters worse for Goff, he didn't leave on the best of terms with his former coach in Los Angeles head man Sean McVay, and it left Goff with a feeling of "sourness" toward the Rams organization.
Although that is the case, he told reporters earlier in the week that he won't let it affect his performance Sunday, though.
“When the game starts, if I let any of that come into how I’m going to play the game, it’ll be selfish,” Goff said. “And, I’m gonna play the game just how I would any other game, and to be honest, I’m not worried about feeling some type of way once the game starts.”
Stafford's and Goff's individual numbers have also gone in different directions.
Through six games, Stafford looks like an MVP frontrunner, with 16 passing touchdowns, to go along with 13.2 yards per completion and 306.3 yards per game.
Additionally, he's amassed an NFL-leading QBR (75.0), a league-leading number of yards per passing attempt (8.67) and a TD% of 8.0 percent (the second-best mark in the league).
Goff, meanwhile, hasn't fared nearly as well.
Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports
He's thrown for just seven touchdowns, to go along with a lowly 9.5 yards per completion and 250.8 yards per contest.
He's also totaled a QBR of just 32.9 (ranked No. 29 in the league) and a TD% of 2.9 percent (ranked No. 28).
And, on top of all that, the first-year Lions signal-caller has produced zero TDs the past two weeks, and he and the Lions have failed to produce a single first-half touchdown the last four games.
That has to change if the Lions have any chance of pulling off the upset in this must-see Week 7 contest.
Yet, I don't think it will, leading to a blowout victory for Stafford and the Rams.
And yes, Stafford will have his way with Detroit's young and inexperienced secondary.
Stafford wins the battle between the two QBs, and finishes with the following stat line: 25-of-32 passing for four touchdowns, one interception and 305 yards.
