Matthew Stafford Is Attempting To Rewrite His Legacy In His First Season Away From Detroit

For 12 seasons, Matthew Stafford toiled away in Detroit, leading Lions teams that ranged from abject disasters to respectably decent.

Stafford became the poster child for empty QB stats in the eyes of many, throwing for over 4,000 yards eight times in Detroit, but only receiving one Pro Bowl nod (2014) for his efforts. He reached the playoffs three times, losing all three times in the Wild Card. Stafford saw the prime years of his career seemingly come and go in Detroit without much to show for it, and became a polarizing figure in the process. A wasted talent on a franchise that failed him? Or piling up stats and never elevating his team to sustained success?

There was only one way for him to answer those questions. And that was to go elsewhere, with Detroit acquiescing to a trade request and sending him to Los Angeles, where the Rams hoped he was one of the final missing pieces in a championship puzzle.

Seemingly every game this season was a referendum on Stafford’s career, with both sides being able to serve their own confirmation bias. A great game, proof he simply needed better support pieces around him. A bad one, proof that you can take the QB out of Detroit, but can’t take the Detroit out of the QB.

All along it was building towards this postseason, where Stafford has been presented the chance to rewrite his legacy and change the narrative about a 13-year career in the span of a month. He (and the Rams team as a whole) have pounced on that opportunity through three rounds of playoff action. Stafford, who had a spell of concerning play towards the end of the season with regards to turnovers, has been a model of consistency and quality decision-making through three games.

He’s completed 72 percent of his passes for 905 yards, six touchdowns, and just one interception. He’s orchestrated a pair of game-winning drives and has delivered in both fourth quarters he’s been needed. For a quarterback who’s always been known for his cannon of an arm, it’s been his precision in crucial moments that’s stood out during the Rams postseason run. He has been sharp and decisive on key third downs and in late clock situations, with few plays more exemplary of that growth than his third-down dart to Cooper Kupp in traffic to keep a drive alive to set up what became the game-winning field goal in the NFC title game.

That play spoke to the confidence he has in himself and those around him, something that was not always the case in Detroit. It also showed the confidence McVay has in Stafford (and Kupp), running a basic option route rather than trying to scheme up a first down, trusting his top guys to simply beat the defense in that moment and it worked. That play was the perfect harmony of accuracy, timing, and power that many wondered if Stafford could ever bring together on the big stage.

Stafford’s been busy with the pencil and eraser this postseason, crafting a new story for himself and answering just about every question about his ability to mesh his immense talent with the savvy and decision-making needed to be a championship quarterback.

Sunday, he’ll have a chance to write it all down in ink and make it permanent.