Stafford, Rams to Face Lions in Opening Round Reunion in NFL Playoffs

The Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford will open the NFL postseason against his former team in the Detroit Lions.

The Los Angeles Rams now know their opening-round playoff opponent, earning a trip to face the Detroit Lions next week during the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend.

The Rams will enter next week as the No. 6 seed in the NFC following a thrilling 21-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and they will hit the road to face quarterback Matthew Stafford's former team with hopes of spoiling a magical season in Detroit.

USA Today

This caps off a miraculous turnaround for Los Angeles in the 2023 season. The Rams began their campaign with a record of 3-6 and a plethora of injuries before hitting their bye week, and from that point on, they won six of their next seven games en route to clinching a playoff berth last week.

Stafford spent 12 seasons with the Lions (2009-20) after being selected by the franchise with the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. A product of the Georgia Bulldogs, Stafford was a face of Detroit football until he was traded to the Rams prior to their Super Bowl run in 2021.

He helped inject life into a Lions team that was coming off a 0-16 campaign in 2008 prior to his selection in the draft, but now, he will look to take down his former team in the latter portions of his career and extend what has become a storybook run in Los Angeles this season.