When the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams meet this Sunday, it won’t just be another game on the schedule-it could be a pivotal moment in shaping the NFC playoff picture. And yes, the quarterback storyline writes itself: Matthew Stafford vs. Jared Goff, two former franchise cornerstones now leading very different teams with very real postseason stakes.
Stafford has the Rams in prime position to chase the NFC’s top seed, while Goff and the Lions are pushing to solidify their playoff standing. The stakes are high, and the history between these two quarterbacks adds a layer of intrigue that’s hard to ignore-even if one of them has clearly moved on.
Let’s rewind for a second. Back in 2021, the Rams and Lions pulled off one of the most significant quarterback trades in recent memory-Stafford to L.A., Goff to Detroit.
The move paid off immediately for the Rams, who rode Stafford’s arm all the way to a Super Bowl LVI win. Meanwhile, Goff has been the face of a Lions resurgence that’s brought real hope back to the Motor City.
That includes a playoff win over Stafford’s Rams in the 2023 postseason-a moment that felt like a turning point for both Goff and the franchise.
But if you’re expecting Goff to get sentimental about the past this week, don’t hold your breath.
“It feels like a long time ago,” Goff said when asked-again-about facing his former team. “My career now has spent more time here.”
He’s not wrong. Goff has been in Detroit long enough now that his identity as a Lion feels fully cemented.
The playoff matchup last season was a big deal, no doubt. But as Goff pointed out, each year since the trade has made the storyline feel a little less relevant.
“We played them in that playoff game, it was such a big deal. The next year it felt like even less, now it’s even further removed,” he said.
Still, the questions kept coming, and Goff-clearly amused-couldn’t help but poke fun at the persistence of the narrative.
“We’re still talking about this? All right, go ahead.”
If he’s looking for perspective on how long these kinds of storylines can stick, he doesn’t have to look far. Just ask Stafford how many times he’s been reminded that he played high school baseball with Clayton Kershaw. Some narratives never die-they just get recycled every time the cameras roll.
And you can bet this one will be front and center during Sunday’s broadcast. The trade.
The Super Bowl. The playoff revenge.
It’s all coming back.
But beyond the headlines and history, this game matters in the here and now. Both teams are in the thick of the playoff race, and depending on how the NFC shakes out, this might not be the last time Stafford and Goff share the field this season. If Detroit makes a run, the road to the Super Bowl could very well go through L.A.-with Stafford standing in the way.
So yes, the past is interesting. But Sunday is about the present.
Two quarterbacks. Two teams.
One game with major postseason implications. Let’s enjoy it for what it is: a battle between two contenders with a little extra juice.