Stafford's Soured Homecoming Brings Sudden End to Rams' Revived Season
It's not entirely fair, but the 2023 Los Angeles Rams season will be remembered by what occurred on Sunday night.
The Rams fell to the Detroit Lions 24-23 in Sunday's Wild Card matchup, putting an end to an amazing midseason turnaround orchestrated in Los Angeles and souring quarterback Matthew Stafford's homecoming to his former city.
Stafford & Co. did what they had done all season as they battled through injuries and adversity, but this time, it was not enough at Ford Field as the Lions gained a win in their first home playoff game in 32 years.
Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
L.A. began its season with a record of 3-6 before reversing course after its bye week and finishing with a mark of 10-7. The work done by head coach Sean McVay and his staff was remarkable down the stretch, but all things must come to an end, and the end that was met in Detroit this week was an unceremonious one.
That shouldn't mire what the Rams were able to accomplish this season. A campaign that began so disastrously ended with a postseason berth, and that is cause for at least some consolation. Still, Rams fans witnessing their former quarterback deliver a postseason win over their team has to sting, and that is a feeling that will linger throughout the offseason.
That's what the focus shifts to in Los Angeles. The Rams will return young stars like running back Kyren Williams and wideout Puka Nacua, and assuming that Stafford returns for another season and doesn't retire, this team should be poised for success in 2024 and beyond.
Tonight, however, is Jared Goff's night. The Rams got a Super Bowl out of the Stafford-Goff trade in 2021, but this season came to a heartbreaking close as the Detroit signal caller got the latest laugh in the series.
Such is life in the NFL, and Los Angeles will have eight months to let this loss fester before taking the field again.
