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Matthew Stafford Had Blunt Answer on Playing in Detroit and Hearing Jared Goff Chants

The former Lions great has moved on.

Andy Nesbitt

Matthew Stafford spent his first 12 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.
Matthew Stafford spent his first 12 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. / Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images
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Matthew Stafford was back in Detroit on Sunday night playing in his old home stadium for just the second time since being traded by the Lions to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. And just like the last time he faced the team that selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL draft, he heard chants for the team's current quarterback, Jared Goff.

Also just like the last time Stafford was back in Detroit, he and the Rams were dealt a tough loss, falling to Goff and the Lions, 26-20, in an overtime thriller.

Stafford, who spent his first 12 seasons in the NFL with the Lions, was asked after the loss if he was over hearing the Goff chants from fans at Ford Field and if playing in Detroit was now just like playing anywhere else.

"I am, yeah. I’m fine with it.," Stafford said of being over the chants. He added a "yup" to the follow up question about games in Detroit not being anything special to him.

Stafford and the Rams travel to Arizona for a NFC West battle in Week 2.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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