Rams' Matthew Stafford Recounts Super Bowl Win vs. Bengals
On March 18, 2021, the NFL world went under a blockbuster trade, as Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was sent to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff.
Stafford spent his first 12 years in the NFL with the Lions, but his stellar play was being held back due to a constantly losing Detroit team. When the trade was announced, the NFL community got a chance to see what Stafford could do on a team loaded with Pro Bowl caliber talent.
The then-33-year-old's first season in Los Angeles was among the best of his career, as he assisted receiver Cooper Kupp in breaking a couple of records and winning the Super Bowl 23-20 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Rams will face the Bengals for the first time since the big game on Monday night, and Stafford recounted his experience from that February evening during Thursday's press conference.
"I remember a decent amount of it," Stafford said. "I'm sure there's a lot of it that I'll probably have to be reminded about in certain instances, both before and after (Monday night), all that kind of stuff. But I did everything I could in that game to try to make it feel like every other game and that works for me."
Stafford completed 26-40 pass attempts for 283 yards and three touchdowns, but also two interceptions. Stafford thought they "played at a pretty high level" despite the mistakes, but was obviously thrilled with the result.
Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford celebrates with the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
While Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and company thrived in 2022 by making it to the AFC Championship game, the Rams suffered a historic 5-12 Super Bowl hangover. Los Angeles sacrificed a lot of picks and players to pursue the title, and the remaining star players (Stafford, Kupp and defensive tackle Aaron Donald) caught the injury bug.
Going into the season, the Bengals were given Super Bowl or bust expectations by the NFL community, while the Rams were expected to finish towards the bottom of the league due to their extremely young and inexperienced roster. However, after two weeks, the Rams are 1-1, while the Bengals are 0-2.
Stafford explained that Cincinnati's defense, especially the secondary, is much different than their last matchup.
"There are some different guys that are playing a little bit more than there were back then," Stafford said. "The guys up front are pretty similar, but I got a lot of respect for the defensive coordinator. He does a great job of making it tough on quarterbacks and you got to go out there and play at a high level.”
As previously stated, the 35-year-old caught the injury bug last season and spent the second half of it on the sideline with a spinal contusion. It appeared as though Stafford was beginning to show his age last season, as he logged some of the worst numbers of his career even when he was healthy.
However, he's averaged a staggering 345.5 passing yards over the first two games and is hoping to continue his excellent start on Monday night's Super Bowl rematch.
