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INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Matthew Stafford has known since the NFL schedule was released more than five months ago that a matchup against the Detroit Lions, his former team of 12 seasons, loomed. However, the Los Angeles Rams quarterback said it wasn’t something he focused much attention on.
However, on Sunday, after the Rams defeated the Lions 28-17, Stafford expressed relief that he could finally put the reunion behind him.
“Am I happy it’s over with? Yeah,” said Stafford, who requested a trade from Lions ownership after last season. “Got a lot of great friends, got a lot of people I care about that are on that team or from that city and just glad to have this one over with. Can put the storylines away and just go out and play football the rest of the year and just enjoy it.”
Rams coach Sean McVay and Lions quarterback Jared Goff can also move on from the saga that has surrounded their relationship following last January’s blockbuster trade that brought Stafford to L.A. and sent Goff, two first-round picks and a third-round pick to Detroit.
After shaking hands with Lions coach Dan Campbell postgame, McVay searched among a crowd of players before he finally tracked down Goff, his quarterback of four seasons, and the two embraced.
McVay initially declined to share what was said, but eventually relented. “I said, ‘Great job, I’ll touch base with you a little bit later on.'”
Goff sidestepped a similar question posed about his interaction with McVay and responded more generally about seeing former teammates.
“Just a lot of guys saying good job and me echoing that to them,” Goff said. “That’s pretty typical of postgame, just ‘good job’ and ‘appreciate it.’ That was pretty much it.”
The Rams played a tribute video for Goff ahead of kickoff, thanking the former No. 1 overall pick for his…
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Source : espn
