Rams' Matthew Stafford reacts to hearing boos from Lions fans

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford seemed unbothered he heard boos from Detroit Lions fans before and during Sunday night's wild-card playoff game that the Lions won 24-23. 

"It was a playoff game," Stafford explained about jeers directed his way by members of the Detroit faithful, per Kevin Manahan of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I’m not surprised that they were excited about cheering for their team, and I’m not too worried about anybody’s personal feelings toward me that were sitting in the stands." 

Stafford, of course, featured for the Lions from 2009 up until he was traded to the Rams in March 2021 via the transaction that resulted in Los Angeles sending signal-caller Jared Goff to Detroit. On Sunday evening, Stafford completed 25-of-36 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort. Goff, meanwhile, connected on 22-of-27 attempts for 277 yards with a score en route to hearing his name chanted at Ford Field.

"He’s their quarterback," Stafford said about the connection between Detroit supporters and Goff. "He’s playing great. He led them to a win. I’m happy for him. I thought he played excellent today. He’s leading an offense that’s playing at a really good clip right now, and they should be proud of him. They should be cheering for him."

Of course, Stafford has no reason to regret the monumental trade that occurred roughly three years ago. He never won a single playoff game while with Detroit but guided the Rams to a Super Bowl LVI victory in February 2022. Nevertheless, the veteran was understandably asked following Sunday's defeat if he was happy for his former NFL home and Lions fans after Detroit earned a postseason victory for the first time since January 1992. 

"I’m happy for the players," Stafford responded, according to Will Burchfield of Audacy. "Happy for those guys." 

Clearly, Stafford's relationship with Detroit isn't today what it was during his best days with the Lions. That likely means little to Detroit fans who woke up Monday morning dreaming of Goff hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy as soon as next month.