The Los Angeles Rams made a blockbuster trade to acquire Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions on Jan. 30, 2021, hoping he would be the missing piece to take the team over the hump to win a Super Bowl.
Exactly one year to the day later, the Rams are one win away from that vision coming to fruition as Stafford led the Rams to an NFC Championship Game victory over the San Francisco 49ers to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVI.
While this season was filled with ups and downs, particularly for Stafford, who led the league in interceptions, he expressed how proud he is to be a member of the organization after beating the 49ers.
“I’m just so proud of this group,” Stafford said. “We’ve had high expectations all year. Done nothing but do everything in our power to try and meet those. It’s a driven group we have in there. This game wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t easy in some spots, but we found a way to win the game. That’s what it’s all about. I’m just happy and proud to be a part of this group. And we got some more work left to do.”
Stafford spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Detroit Lions, making the playoffs just three times and winning zero games.
Now 3-0 in the postseason with the Rams and two weeks away from playing in his first Super Bowl, Stafford discussed how he felt a year ago when the trade was going down.
“I was obviously excited. A lot of change was about to happen for me and my family. That was probably my biggest thought at the moment, was excitement to come play with this group of players and coaching staff. These guys worked so hard. At the same time knowing it’s going to be a big move and a lot of change. It’s been a great thing for us. Just happy that I’m here and happy to be part of it.”
For the second year in a row, a team will be playing in the Super Bowl in their home stadium as it will be at SoFi Stadium this year.
While Stafford is excited to be playing at home, he is just excited to be playing in the game period.
“It’s great that it’s here. If we’re playing in it, I don’t give a hell where we’re at. I don’t give a (expletive) where it is. I just want to play in the dang thing. But the fact that it’s under this roof, it’s going to be awesome. Our fans did an unbelievable job tonight making it a tough environment. It’s nice to send some of those red jerseys home. That was cool.”
It’s been a storybook season for Stafford and the Rams to this point, although that can all come crashing down with another Super Bowl loss.
Stafford and his teammates have kept their eye on the prize all season though, so there’s no doubt they understand the importance of this game and will be prepared when they take the field against the Cincinnati Bengals in two weeks.
