Now that’s why the Los Angeles Rams traded for Matthew Stafford.
Stafford had a marvelous performance Monday night, throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Rams to a 30-23 road win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The victory kept the Rams’ fading NFC West title hopes alive, but fear not, Lions fans, L.A. still needs a few breaks to go its way to avoid being a road underdog in the first round of the playoffs.
Arizona holds a one-game lead in the NFC West with four games to play and owns the tiebreaker over the Rams by virtue of its superior division record.
Both teams have division games left, so that could change. But the Cardinals have enough cushion to withstand a loss — they visit the Lions this week and close the season with games against the Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks — and still win the division.
The Lions, of course, are keeping close tabs on their friends out west because of the draft implications. The Lions own the Rams’ first-round pick and stand to benefit from an early postseason exit by Stafford.
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If L.A. wins its division, it will have a first-round home game, perhaps against an inferior team like Washington or the San Francisco 49ers. If the Cardinals win, Stafford’s path to playoff success in the top-heavy NFC becomes more difficult.
Currently, the Rams project to play a wild-card game in Dallas, and no one around here needs a reminder of what happened the last time Stafford faced his hometown Cowboys in the playoffs.
Jerry Bergman, the head linesman who picked up the penalty flag in that Lions-Cowboys game seven years ago, worked the Rams’ win over the Cardinals on Monday night, so it’s possible Stafford’s luck is changing.
But with little local left to root for in this lost season, Lions fans can immerse themselves in what should be a fun finish.
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This week’s power rankings
1. Green Bay Packers (10-3)
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-3)
3. Arizona Cardinals (10-3)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (9-4)
5. New England Patriots (9-4)
6. Los Angeles Rams (9-4)
7. Dallas Cowboys (9-4)
8. Tennessee Titans (9-4)
9. Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
10. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)
11. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)
12. Buffalo Bills (7-6)
13. San Francisco 49ers (7-6)
14. Cleveland Browns (7-6)
15. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)
16. Pittsburgh (6-6-1)
17. Miami Dolphins (6-7)
18. Denver Broncos (7-6)
19. Washington Football Team (6-7)
20. Las Vegas Raiders (6-7)
21. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)
22. Minnesota Vikings (6-7)
23. New Steelers Orleans Saints (6-7)
24. Seattle Seahawks (5-8)
25. Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
26. Carolina Panthers (5-8)
27. Chicago Bears (4-9)
28. New York Giants (4-9)
29. New York Jets (3-10)
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11)
31. Houston Texans (2-11)
32. Detroit Lions (1-11-1)
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.