How The Former Lions Quarterback Led His New Team To The Championship Finals And Beyond
If you had told us that a Detroit Lions starting quarterback would be leading a team to the Super Bowl this year we would have cried with laughter (sorry Lions fans)!
We will be the first to admit that we miss judging Matthew Stafford – this season, he has shown everyone that he is one of the best in the NFL right now.
Today, we are going to look at Stafford’s history and how he has managed to do so many amazing things with the Rams this year.
Matthew Stafford
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Stafford was drafted by the Lions in 2009.
Considering that Stafford spent 12 years playing for a team that didn’t win their division once the entire time he played with them – Stafford has had an impressive career.
He currently holds the NFL records for Fastest Quarterback to 20,000 Passing Yards (71 games), 30,000 Passing Yards (103 games), 40,000 Passing Yards (147 games), and 45,000 yards (179 games).
As of the end of the 2021-22 season, Stafford is 5 yards away from reaching 50,000 Passing Yards.
The Lions traded Stafford to the Rams at the start of the 2021-22 season.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams were formed in 1936 and have been in action for 85 years.
The last time they won the Super Bowl was in 1999. They appeared in it in 2001 and 2018 as well.
Over the last few years, they have put in mixed performances. They did win the NFC in 2018 and play in the Super Bowl, but they had a huge slump in the following season.
They have regularly changed their starting quarterback. In 2020-21, they were knocked out of the playoffs by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
They traded for Matthew Stafford prior to the start of the 2021-22 season.
The 2020-21 Season
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Stafford’s story this season really does shine a light on what an underrated player he has been for the last 15 years. Stafford moving to a team where he is surrounded by talent has allowed him to thrive and play the best football he has in a long time.
It is also worth mentioning that the Lions had their worst season in nearly 20 years this season. They didn’t get a victory until Week 13. They were very much missing the ability of Stafford this year.
Regular Season
In his debut match with the Rams in Week 1 of the season, he started all 17 games (there was one extra game this season). This season Stafford set franchise records for pass completions, pass attempts and passing yards, and for passing touchdowns in a single season.
He also led the league in interceptions thrown – 17 – and set personal bets for passing touchdowns and passing completion percentage.
The Rams ended the year with a win-loss record of 12-5. They came second in the NFC West and entered the playoffs through the Wild Card round. This was only the 3rd time in Stafford’s career that he won more than 10 games in a season.
The Playoffs
In the Wild Card Round, the Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-11. This was only the 4th playoff appearance for Stafford. Stafford even managed to score a rushing touchdown in this match for the first time in 8 years.
In the Divisional Round, they beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-27. This was the first appearance in this round for Stafford.
They then went on to beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 to win the NFC championship title.
The Super Bowl
The Rams will be playing against the Bengals in this year’s Super Bowl. You can find up-to-date Super Bowl odds here.
Stafford will be competing against Joe Burrow who is currently playing his second season in the NFL.
If you want to stay up to date on Matthew Stafford and the Super Bowl, check out Belly Up Sports and our Twitter.
