Lions News

[Cody_Russell]

It’s possible we will look back and say Goff was more accomplished as a Lions QB when compared to Stafford. Hopefully we will have enjoyed the Goff era more than Stafford era.

At the same time, Stafford the more talented QB that was surrounded by bad and mediocre teams with exception of 2014.

It’s a team sport y’all. This isn’t golf, tennis, or Joey Chestnut where an individual is clearly responsible for wins / losses. We all know how pathetic Matt Patricia is and that led to Stafford’s Lions downfall.

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Lions’ first playoff win in 32 years was pure grit, followed by tears of joy

LA Rams vs. Detroit Lions 1-14-2024.jpg

By Colton Pouncy
Jan 15, 2024



DETROIT — When the challenge of a lifetime presents itself, you never know how you’ll respond in the moment. You can think you have it all figured out, that things will all work out, but the questions that arise before the deed is done can only be answered later on, when the dust settles.

That’s what this week was for the Detroit Lions, hosting their first playoff game in 30 years, in search of their first playoff win in 32 years.



The dust has settled. The deed is done. And the Lions are moving on.

“I’m telling you what, it doesn’t get any better,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said to a locker room full of players, eyes locked on him, after the Lions’ 24-23 playoff win over the L.A. Rams. “It’s everything you dream of and more.”

You couldn’t write a better wild-card matchup if you tried. It was up to the Lions, though, to write their perfect ending. That was easier said than done, knowing who was standing on the visitor’s sideline, for the first time as a visitor.

That would be former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. The 2009 No. 1 pick. The former face of the franchise. The Golden Boy with the Golden Arm.



Stafford endeared himself to an entire city over the course of 12 seasons. He led memorable comeback drives. He played through countless visible injuries and probably more the public didn’t know about, giving his all to Detroit along the way. His four daughters were born here. In many ways, Stafford himself grew up here. And yet, he emerged from the tunnels of Ford Field for pregame warmups, in a different uniform, to boos.

An unfamiliar feeling. But a necessary one to set the tone.



There will come a time when Stafford is properly honored for his Lions tenure and what he did here. And when that time comes, this city will welcome him back with open arms.

But this? This wasn’t his night. It was never going to be his night. If you know these Lions, you know they wouldn’t let it.



“Stafford did a lot here for the fans — even for the organization,” wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said after the game. “But, I mean, it’s different times now.”

This night, for these players, had nothing to do with the opposing quarterback. It was about the long road and the path here, beginning the day Stafford left. That marked the start of a rebuild. In January 2021, Campbell and Lions GM Brad Holmes were hired without ever having met — introduced via text — to usher in a new era and build a winner. An extensive search carried out by owner Sheila Ford Hamp, president Rod Wood, former linebacker Chris Spielman and COO Mike Disner led them to this pair, with the belief that their experiences would lead this franchise to heights unreached.


They’d do so using draft capital and assets from the Stafford trade to jump-start the next wave as they set out to field a roster capable of winning on a night like this. That included Jared Goff, once thought to be a bridge. Holmes was part of a Rams front office that identified Goff and drafted him. He saw him as a resilient figure, facing the challenge of making a winner out of a franchise that hasn’t seen much winning.



Along the way, the Lions have targeted similar players. Penei Sewell, the heart and soul of this team. St. Brown, the man who never forgets. Aidan Hutchinson, the hometown kid who helped turn around two programs.

It’s not enough to be talented or athletic. The Lions go about acquiring players in a way that puts mindset at the forefront. They care about how players are wired, and it’s very much intentional. To move forward in ways this franchise hasn’t, it needed players unfazed by its history of failure, lurking in the shadows whenever adversity arrives.



The Lions have done that. Each player is here for a reason. Holmes, Campbell and company spent three years building this thing to what it is now — a vision, come to life in front of their very eyes.

“We went through darkness and it shaped us,” Holmes said after the game. “It shaped us for this moment.”

That first season in 2021 was about laying the foundation. Few 3-13-1 teams have felt as sure of themselves as those Lions, as they built toward a brighter future. Year two was about learning how to win. A 1-6 start, followed by an 8-2 finish, paved the way for what this year would be.

This season, of course, was about checking off boxes. During the first week of September, Campbell met with players and coaches in the team meeting room, pointing to the back of the wall. It highlighted a list of things the Lions have not accomplished in some time. Campbell told his players he wanted this year to be special. He knew. And he wanted them to know, too.



Truthfully, it was a special season. The Lions tied a franchise record for wins in a season with 12. They won their division for the first time in 30 years, hanging a new banner in the process. Along the way, they told anyone who’d listen that they weren’t satisfied. They were thinking bigger.

They wanted a playoff win for this city, something Detroit hadn’t experienced in 32 years.



“This team’s ready,” Campbell said, one week ago. “They’ve been through it all. They’re battle-tested. They’re scarred to perfection and we will be ready.”

“I was telling you guys before the game that the moment that we’ve been working for, it’s here,” said left tackle Taylor Decker, the longest-tenured player on the Lions. “We’ve been putting in the work. Blood, sweat, tears, pain. And now it’s here, and all you have to do is go out there and execute to win.”



And so, Stafford came home, the stage was set and the game was underway. Early on, you got the sense this would be a quarterback duel. Fitting, really. Stafford and Goff, trading blows in the playoffs, both leaving their new franchises better than they found them. It was poetry on turf.

Every time the Lions looked ready to pull away, the Rams answered. It’s hard to put Stafford away. Lions fans know that well. A field goal cut Detroit’s lead down to 24-23, with a little over eight minutes to go. History or misery. Take your pick.



With the ball in their hands, and just under two minutes left in a one-point game, the Lions’ offense took the field, looking to end the game. The Rams had used their final timeout, burning two early on thanks to a rabid home crowd that made it difficult for L.A.’s offense to hear. A single first down would win the game, and win a playoff game for the city of Detroit.

In the end, it was Goff — not Stafford — who delivered the knockout punch.

When Goff’s knee touched the turf for the final time out of victory formation, there was a buzz in the air, one that likely hasn’t been felt in decades. It was the realization that this was, in fact, real. Tears, bottled up for some 32 years, were finally released. Strangers hugged like long-lost relatives. Demons, exorcised.

In the moments that followed, Goff raised both arms high in the air, as the crowd cheered for their new hero — the one who did what Stafford couldn’t. He finished with 277 yards and a touchdown, completing 22-of-27 passes and going toe-to-toe with the man for whom he was traded. For Goff, it was a sigh of relief. Not because he spent the week answering narrative-driven questions about how his former franchise determined he wasn’t good enough. Not because he had some personal vendetta for the way things ended in Los Angeles.



While many focused on the past this week, Goff was focused on the present. He wanted this win for his teammates, for his coaches and, most importantly, for a city that will love you forever if you do right by it.

“I’m very fortunate to be playing for these people here and to be playing for this city and this organization and to be able to enjoy special moments like that,” Goff said. “I don’t take it for granted. Things happen in weird ways and it’s been a three-year road to get to this point to enjoy that moment, and it was a sweet one. But with that being said, we’ve got some more games that we want to win now.”



Goff’s not wrong. Detroit’s season doesn’t end here. The Lions, thanks to Green Bay’s win over Dallas, will be right back here next week, at Ford Field, hosting the winner of Eagles-Buccaneers. They got a taste of postseason success and want more. They’ll enjoy this one, but Monday, it’ll be onto the next.

They’d love nothing more than to feel this feeling again, hoping this city can feel this feeling again.

In the meantime, this is one they won’t soon forget.

(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)



Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy

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https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2024/1/16/24039933/jj-watt-offers-high-praise-for-aidan-hutchinson-barry-sanders

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[jaadam4]

Was just going to post the video. The chants for Goff coming out for warmups were absolutely insane. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like that from the state of Michigan sports

[wcfwtf]

Probably what got Matthew a little nervy
I kind of felt bad for Stafford. He probably had a lot of emotions he wasn’t willing to show. As much as I don’t think he really cares about the fans I do believe he may have some remorse about wanting out.
Even though I believe he should of left years ago before he did I believed he had a sense of loyalty that he violated

[Marko69]

That was an awesome interview. And him walking through the tunnel pre-game……. Man, that lifts the hair on the back of the neck. He’s a great speaker as well, no hype BS.

hashtag:goffcrush

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Here's former Lions failed QB Joey "Sunshine" Harrington talking about the Detroit Lions: