Rams' Star to Make Long-Awaited Return to New England

The Los Angeles Rams will return to New England for the first time in eight years. For quarterback Matthew Stafford, it has been a decade since playing the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. He is eager for the opportunity once again.

Oct 20, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) takes a drink during warmups before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images / Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams (4-5) rarely travel cross-country to Foxborough, Mass. to battle the New England Patriots (3-7), but they will this Sunday afternoon. It will be the first time in eight years for the organization and first in a decade for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The 16-year veteran played the first 12 years of his career with the Detroit Lions, the team he was drafted No. 1 overall with in the 2009 NFL Draft. The last time he played at Gillette Stadium was with Detroit in Week 12 of the 2014 season.

Despite a brutal 34-9 loss, Stafford recalled the matchup, remembering bits and pieces. The Lions would finish 11-5 that year, the best record in Stafford's dozen seasons as their quarterback.

"Was it 2014? Yeah, we came in with I think the number one or top five rush defense in the league," Stafford said. "I'm not sure they ran it once. That's kind of what New England used to do with [Former New England Head Coach Bill] Belichick, [Former Quarterback Tom] Brady and those guys. It was like these guys stopped the run and I think they threw it like 60 times, a bunch of empty, quick game stuff. They pressed [Former Lions Wide Receiver] Calvin [Johnson] with [Former Patriots Cornerback Brandon] Browner and played the safety over the top in man coverage. [They] put [Former Patriot Darrelle] Revis on [Former Lion] Golden [Tate]. [Former Patriots] Riley Reiff got hurt in the first play of the game at left tackle with a foot injury. I don't know. It was a tough day. It wasn't pretty. They did a nice job. That's pretty good set up to stop the 2014 Lions on offense, double Calvin and put Revis on Golden. We got hurt up front and we didn't run it great so it was a tough day for sure. Other than that, I remember nothing."

The future hall of fame quarterback may not have arguably the best receiver of all-time on his team, but possessing elite talented receivers such as Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Demarcus Robinson is almost more dangerous than just one 'Megatron'.

Stafford has been around the National Football League for quite some time and is no stranger to what the Patriots had been able to do over the course of his career. He is very familiar with the historical success from the organization over the past 20+ years.

He was asked about what his expectations are for him and his group making a rare trip to the east coast against a former NFL dynasty. Gillette Stadium is one the more historic and ruckus environments due to the longtime success that has occurred within that building.

"It's fun. Obviously, it's got a bunch of history," Stafford said. "It's a great place to play, outdoor stadium and should be a great crowd. I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun."

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