Stafford Plays Down Potential Playoff Game Against Lions

Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams have won five of their last six games, including a 30-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, as their postseason chances improve.

A very intriguing potential clash is emerging as the Rams inch closer to the dream land. If the season ended today, the Rams would be the NFC’s sixth seed and would face the third-seeded Detroit Lions in the Wild Card Round, a team Stafford spent more than a decade with. The Lions, along with the Philadelphia Eagles, are the Rams’ most likely first-round opponent, according to PlayoffStatus.com.

As entertaining as that clash might be, Stafford and the Rams haven’t even considered who they might face in the playoffs.

“No, no. “Like I said, there’s a lot of football to be played between now and then,” Stafford stated on the postgame show for “Thursday Night Football.” “The main goal is just to get in the dance.” Get in, be the greatest seed you can be, and figure out where we need to go from there. But there’s a lot of football to be played between now and then, and we’ll be up against two tough opponents.”

The major reason the Rams aren’t thinking about their playoff opponent is obvious: they haven’t yet clinched their playoff position. After Thursday’s victory, their odds are quite good, but they still need to finish the job.

The Lions have not yet officially clinched a postseason position, but things would have to go horribly wrong for them to drop out.

This possible clash is fascinating since it is a “revenge game” on both sides. Not only for Stafford, but also for Jared Goff, the former Rams and current Lions quarterback. In fact, they were traded for each other in 2021, so they’ll always be linked in that regard.

Since the deal, the two teams have only met once, with the Rams winning 28-19 in 2021.

Furthermore, Detroit is on pace to win its first division title and, as a result, host a playoff game for the first time in 30 years. It’s only right that Stafford, the best quarterback in franchise history, would be present for such a momentous occasion.

However, as Stafford stressed, there is a lot of football to be played before even thinking about this showdown.