How Matthew Stafford vs. Jared Goff Matchup is Creating NFL History
After just one year on the couch, the Los Angeles Rams are back in the playoffs and will make history doing so.
Thanks to the Rams' matchup with the Detroit Lions, Sunday's Wild Card game will be the first time both starting quarterbacks will be facing their former teams at the same time in playoff history.
This doesn't mention that it will happen thanks to the trade that sent Jared Goff and multiple NFL Draft picks in exchange for Matthew Stafford, as revealed by Carmen Vitali.
Sunday's game will also mark the first time the Rams and Lions have met since making the blockbuster trade almost three years ago. Obviously, since then, much has changed for both sides.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (left) and Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford (right).
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The Rams made the trade for Stafford to pursue the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy. While Jared Goff, the former No. 1 overall pick, had taken the Rams to the doorstep of winning the Super Bowl in 2018, couldn't get them back afterward, as they missed the postseason altogether the following season before being eliminated in the divisional round the year after before he was traded.
Meanwhile, after 11 seasons in Detroit, the farthest Stafford had taken the franchise was the Wildcard round, a game they only reached three times. So, after three straight seasons of finishing last in the NFC North, the Lions traded their former No. 1 overall pick away in exchange for another in Goff as they underwent a rebuild.
Fast forward three seasons later, and both teams have reason to be happy with the trade. The Rams captured their elusive second Super Bowl ring, while the Lions have enjoyed their first 12-win season since Barry Sanders was their star running back in 1991.
Kickoff inside Ford Field is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT, as Stafford will look to lead the Rams to a win over his former team.
