This weekend is the start of the playoffs in the NFL. There are several intriguing matchups this weekend, but one sticks out among the rest. Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions had a special 2023 season, going 12-5 and earning the third seed in the NFC playoffs. Detroit has a home playoff game for the first time since 1993. However, the plot thickens.
Goff and the Lions will also be playing against his former team, the Rams. Los Angeles infamously traded Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford ahead of the 2021 season. The Rams would go on to win the Super Bowl that season and it’s something Goff still thinks about to this day. He knows his matchup with Los Angeles this weekend is an important one. Goff said the chip on his shoulder will “never leave me” and the 29-year-old is ready to get some revenge this weekend vs. the Rams.
Jared Goff and the Lions will host the Rams this weekend for Detroit’s first home playoff game since 1993
Lions QB Jared Goff says trade from Rams will “never leave me”https://t.co/XnJWsvb6r4 pic.twitter.com/3NBSuJvOEy
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) January 11, 2024
When the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford in 2021, they shipped off Jared Goff to the Lions. The ending between Goff and Los Angeles did not end as cleanly as both sides would have hoped. To this day, Rams head coach Sean McVay still has regrets about how Jared’s time ended in Los Angeles. McVay said he is still thankful for all the years Goff was their QB. It’s not like the pair didn’t have any success. Goff and McVay never had a losing record in their four seasons together. They even made it to a Super Bowl that the team lost.
While Goff was traded to the Lions, his time with Detroit did not start smoothly. The team went 3-10-1 in his first season as their starting QB. Detroit bounced back in 2022 with a 9-8 record and just narrowly missed out on the postseason. Goff and the Lions were determined to make the playoffs this season and they did just that. The Lions won the NFC North win a 12-5 record this season and are the third seed in the NFC playoffs.
#Lions QB Jared Goff on facing Sean McVay and ex-Rams team: “Obviously we had our differences there at the end, but he’s a great coach. He’s a guy that taught me a lot.”
Goff says there’s no extra motivation facing LA. “I so badly want to win a playoff game for this city.” pic.twitter.com/gZ3IaqxhRg
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 10, 2024
In 2023, Goff started every game for the Lions and was second in the league with 4,575 passing yards. He also had 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season. Close to three years since the blockbuster trade in 2021, the Rams and Lions will meet in the postseason for a game filled with exciting storylines. Goff knows how good it would feel to beat his former team and head coach who let him go. However, he’s more worried about getting a win for the city of Detroit. The Rams and Lions will play on SNF at 8:00 p.m. EST.
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