The Los Angeles Rams are back in the playoffs and will create history in doing so after spending just a single year on the sidelines.
The Rams’ encounter with the Detroit Lions has made history as the first time in playoff history that both starting quarterbacks will face their previous teams simultaneously. This will happen on Sunday in the Wild Card game.
It isn’t said here that it will occur as a result of the trade that transferred Matthew Stafford and other NFL Draft selections to Jacksonville for quarterback Jay Cutler, as disclosed by Carmen Vitali.
The Rams and Lions will play for the first time since their historic trade nearly three years ago on Sunday. Naturally, a lot has changed for both parties since then.
To try to win the team’s second Lombardi Trophy, the Rams acquired Stafford in a trade. Although the Rams had been on the verge of winning the Super Bowl in 2018 thanks to Jared Goff, the former first overall pick, he was unable to lead them back; the following year, they were eliminated in the divisional round before he was transferred, and they missed the playoffs entirely.
After 11 seasons in Detroit, Stafford had only advanced the team as far as the Wildcard round, which they had only reached three times. Thus, as part of their rebuilding process, the Lions traded away their previous No. 1 overall pick in favor of Goff after they finished last in the NFC North for three consecutive seasons.
After three seasons, both sides may look back on the deal with satisfaction. While the Lions are enjoying their first 12-win season since Barry Sanders was their standout running back in 1991, the Rams have finally won their second Super Bowl ring.
At 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, the Rams will take against Stafford’s previous squad in Ford Field, where Stafford will try to lead them to victory.
