There is perhaps no one who did more for the Detroit Lions franchise over the last quarter century than Matthew Stafford. The QB played through one of the worst eras in franchise history—which is saying something. That tenure left scars and deep insecurities within Stafford’s family.
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In 2021, he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in one of the most mutually beneficial trades in recent NFL history. In his first year there, Stafford did what he never had a chance to in Detroit: win a Super Bowl. In fact, he hadn’t even won a playoff game in his 12 seasons in MoTown.
However, during that run to the title, Stafford’s mother, Margaret, couldn’t help but think back to her son’s darker days in Detroit.
On Thursday, Kelly Stafford, the QB’s wife and host of The Morning After Media podcast, had Margaret on as a guest. There, Margaret revealed how much those losing seasons in Detroit affected her mindset during L.A.’s 2021 run to the title.
“We were really nervous the first playoff game in L.A. Because there hadn’t been a playoff win in Detroit, and that was big news… And it was like, ‘Okay, we know about the elephant in the room, so everybody just calm down, and we’ll go in there.'”
“But I remember being really nervous then… If we can get this one down, we can go on to the next one. That one and done sort of thing. And you’re like, ‘we’ve got to win this game,'” she continued.
Stafford won 12 regular season games with the Rams that year, more than he ever had as a Lion. And yet, once the playoffs came around, the Stafford clan couldn’t help but think back to his three previous postseason failures.
While Matthew probably wouldn’t admit it, that thought was more than likely floating around his head too.
In the end, he was able to ignore the white noise, posting the best passer rating of his career (154.4, near-perfect) in a 34-11 win. The Rams won two close games after that before taking home the franchise’s second Lombardi trophy with a 23-20 triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56.
The emotions Margaret described during that Wild Card playoff game in January 2022 were not an isolated affair. The conversation reminded Kelly of another rather emotional time during Matthew Stafford’s career.
Stafford’s wife recalls her mother-in-law’s worry during epic rookie moment
As a rookie in 2009, Stafford was involved in a high-scoring shootout with the Cleveland Browns (believe it or not). He threw five touchdowns on that day, becoming the youngest player to achieve that feat. The team also won, 38-37, following a thrilling finish, in no small part thanks to Stafford.
After separating his shoulder on the penultimate play, Stafford forced his way back into the game. He promptly threw the game-winning TD pass as time expired. The sequence took on new life thanks to NFL Films, which aired the unedited, mic’d up 4-minute, 17-second clip — the longest in NFL Films history.
The NFL world applauded Stafford’s toughness and perseverance. The sequence has become one of the most famous of the modern NFL and the Lions lived off the hype for years. However, as you can imagine, his mother had her own opinion on it.
“When you see [your kids] hurt… And my eyes weren’t off of him. I was like, ‘Oh God, he’s laying, oh my God.’ You know, the hit. Going back in, and we know him… For four more seasons, on the jumbotron in Detroit, [that sequence] would be part of the hype… And we were like, ‘ughhh.'”
“It still would make me—I would have to hide my head. That hit. And hearing him, you know, kind of whimper, and I’m like, please stop showing this!” she added.
The Lions had selected Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009. Despite abysmal team performances and a lack of offensive support for the quarterback, he re-signed with Detroit not once, but twice.
Stafford and Detroit didn’t work out. But Stafford and L.A. have already combined for an NFL championship, and Jared Goff and the Lions are favorites to win it this year. Talk about a symbiotic trade.
