Matthew Stafford returned to Ford Field in the very first week of the 2024 NFL season, but things didn’t go to plan for him as the Los Angeles Rams ended up losing to the Detroit Lions in overtime.
And apart from leaving Detroit with a loss, the veteran quarterback heard nothing but boos during the game. However, Stafford later downplayed the impact of this harsh welcome from the Lions fans.
“I am, yeah. It’s fine with me,” said Stafford when asked is he’s over hearing boos and Jared Goff chants when visiting his former team, claiming he sees Detroit as just another place to play for him at this point.
Matthew Stafford praises Lions’ atmosphere vs Rams
The 36-year-old spent 12 seasons with the Lions, who selected him first overall out of Georgia in the 2009 NFL Draft. In 2021, he got traded to the Rams in a deal that sent Goff in the other direction.
Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after a play against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 08, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
Even though many Lions fans don’t seem to forgive Stafford for giving up on the team, the Rams quarterback did show some praise for the atmosphere at Ford Field on Sunday night.
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“It was good,” Stafford said. “I thought it was a fun place to play, crowd was into it. Obviously, a great football game. That helps. That helps make the crowd get into it. Back and forth all day, so it was a good atmosphere.”
Stafford appreciates Rams’ big effort in challenging circumstances
The Rams arrived in the season opening week with plenty of absences in the offensive line, suffering yet another blow with wide receiver Puka Nacua getting injured during the game.
Stafford understands those injuries limited the Rams’ possibilities, but he left Detroit with his head held high as the quarterback is satisfied with the effort shown by his teammates despite the circumstances.
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“I’m encouraged with the effort, encouraged with the effort,” Stafford said. “There’s always room for improvement in execution and those things, but I’ll tell you: We don’t need room for improvement in effort. Our guys battled. It’s a tough environment to play in, a bunch of linemen going down, starting receiver going down, and our guys never blinked.
“It was great to see those guys in the huddle, just, ‘Next play, let’s go.’ It wasn’t easy, but found a way to get some points on the board, just not enough to close the thing out, which is frustrating and disappointing, but we’ve got the next week and that’ll get our attention here pretty quickly.”
