Matthew Stafford has been in the NFL for 12 seasons, all of which he spent with the Detroit Lions. Yet in those 12 seasons, he’s never made it past the wild-card round of the playoffs. He and the Lions made the playoffs just three times, going 0-3 in those appearances.
He’ll start the next chapter of his career in Los Angeles with the Rams next season, hoping to change his playoff misfortune. And he doesn’t want to just lead the Rams to the divisional round or conference championship.
He wants to make it all the way to a Super Bowl and be the last team standing. During his introductory press conference on Friday, Stafford said he feeds off that pressure and it’s his job every year to get to the Super Bowl.
Matthew Stafford, asked about pressure to take the @RamsNFL to the Super Bowl:
“That’s your job every year.”
“Sometimes that pressure is a postitive thing. I love that."
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) March 19, 2021
He said with the Rams, he has a new opportunity after a dozen seasons with the Lions. And in this new chance in L.A., he’s going to do everything he can to get the Rams to the Super Bowl.
Matthew Stafford on Super Bowl expectations in L.A.: "For me, it's playing this position for 12 years, that's your job every year. … I've got a new opportunity to come out here and give it a shot and I'm going to do everything I can."
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) March 19, 2021
The Rams have a roster around Stafford to go all the way and win the Lombardi Trophy. They ranked first in overall defense last season, had a strong supporting cast of receivers and running backs, and the offensive line is plenty good enough.
The hope is that Stafford was the missing piece.
