If you’re a NFL quarterback, there is nothing quite like leaving the Detroit Lions, when it comes to realizing your potential. Matthew Stafford, the first overall pick out of Georgia in 2009, is experiencing that right now.
After 12 seasons in Detroit, where he thrived on an individual level, Stafford now gets the chance to succeed as part of a team, with the Los Angeles Rams. He is 10 days away from a golden opportunity to cement his National Football League legacy.
The LA Rams (who acquired Stafford last offseason) have opening odds at -175 over the Bengals (+145). Is the third time the charm for the L.A. Rams– who lost their previous two Super Bowl appearances?
The franchise has appeared in two additional Super Bowls, winning in 2000 and losing in 2002 (we list the Super Bowls by calendar years, not NFL seasons).
NFL great Michael Irvin discussed the legacy of Matthew Stafford should he lead the Rams to a win in the Super Bowl:
\“A couple weeks ago, I said, ‘Boy, it would be great if the Rams could win and use Matt as a luxury and not a necessity.’ But those last couple of games, he was a necessity…Matthew Stafford, if he completes this thing, may have just played his way into the Hall of Fame.
“He had great numbers and was just about in the top 10 in yards and touchdowns, so if you go and complete this and get the ring, maybe you get the jacket too.”
Indeed he has the numbers and records, as he’s the fastest QB in NFL history to 20,000 passing yards. Ditto for 30,000 and 40,000, but he still only had one Pro Bowl appearance (2014). He also totally rewrote the Detroit Lions passing record book, and did the same for the LA Rams single season passing record book in 2021.
The talent and ability has always been there for Stafford, he has just needed to escape the black hole that is the Lions, one of the worst run organizations in all of sports.
No surprise to see him thrive now, as he’s got a supporting cast, finally. He didn’t have that in Detroit; no quarterback ever does there.
NFL legend and Super Bowl winning QB Phil Simms pointed this out:
“When the game was on the line, what happened? The stars have got to come out. Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald – they came out, and it was a great game to watch because it was so physical.”
While the Rams, in LA form, have never won the big one, they probably would have gotten it done in the 1985 season, had they somehow been able to get past the Chicago Bears in the NFC title game. We had an exclusive with the main star of that team, Eric Dickerson, a couple months ago.
“We were one of the few teams that weren’t afraid of them, us and the Redskins because we had the big offensive linemen and big tight ends that could block them,” Dickerson said of facing what was arguably the best defense of all-time in the Chicago Bears.
“But if you don’t have the quarterback in place, you’re gonna get swallowed up and that’s what happened to us, we couldn’t move the ball. We had a receiver open twice, once he (Rams QB Brock Dieter) threw it behind him, and the other time, he overthrew him.
“And you just can’t squander the opportunities against that defense.”
With the way that the Bears dominated the New England Patriots, on Jan 26, 1986, it is very likely that the Rams would have done the same had they somehow upset the Bears. As Dickerson pointed out there, the Rams just didn’t have a real bonafide QB back then.
They certainly do now, and that should be the difference to finally get them over the hump.
And for Matthew Stafford, it will be chance to go from just really really good, to the highest football pantheon.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.