Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford waves at the crowd as he exits the field after the Lions’ 28-19 loss to the Rams on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Inglewood, California.
Lions fans showed up in droves at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, and Matthew Stafford couldn’t help noticing.
Early in the run-up to Sunday’s game against his former team, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford tried to focus on the business at-hand rather than storylines. The Rams escaped with a 28-19 win over the Detroit Lions, as Stafford orchestrated a fourth quarter comeback.
Lions fans are surely passionate, but they aren’t necessarily known to travel well. But on Sunday, Honululu Blue was noticeable around SoFi Stadium, with several wearing old Stafford jerseys. The Lions’ all-time passing leader couldn’t help noticing himself.
“It was humbling,” Stafford said. “It was really nice to see. Driving into the stadium today, I saw a few (Lions jerseys) walking around and thought to myself that it was good to see. I really appreciated it. I’ve said it a bunch of times, and I truly mean it, I loved my time there.”
Matthew Stafford is also glad the Lions’ game is over
After having to address questions about facing the Lions all week long, Stafford was relieved it’s over.
“Am I happy it’s over with? Yeah,” “I’ve got a lot of great friends, got a lot of people that I care about that are on that team or from that city and just glad to have this one over with and put the storylines away and just go out and play football the rest of the year.”
Stafford had a nice game against his former team, throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions did right by him in trading him to a team with legit Super Bowl aspirations as they entered into a rebuild. Most Lions’ fans don’t (and shouldn’t) carry any ill-will towards him, and despite trying to be all “business as usual” throughout the week Stafford noticed their turnout on Sunday.