DETROIT – Let’s address the elephant in the room as the Detroit Lions get ready to host Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the first round of the playoffs.
This, by all accounts, has been the best Lions season in many of our lifetimes. It’s only the second time they’ve ever won 12 games, and it’s the first division title since 1993. At the absolute worst, it’s the second-best season in 66 years, possibly behind 1991, when the Lions went 12-4, won the NFC Central, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
So there should be absolutely nothing that could tarnish what this year’s team has accomplished.
But now there’s this whole Stafford angle.
Look, I don’t think the Lions are scared of the Rams or Stafford. Detroit was the better and more consistent team throughout this regular season. (Just try not to think about those Rams receivers matching up with the Lions’ secondary.)
The elephant in the room doesn’t really have anything to do with the matchup, though. It’s a simple “what if.”
What if the Lions lose to Stafford?
I know the Lions just won the NFC North and fans are very confident in their team. But it’s hard not to have that glimmer of doubt somewhere in the back of your mind. I refuse to believe any Lions fan who claims they haven’t considered how much it would hurt to lose this specific game.
Stafford was mostly beloved during his 12 seasons in Detroit, but those teams failed to bring playoff football to Ford Field. It would be such a gut punch for fans to finally host the postseason only for that to end up being the one time Stafford wins a playoff game in Detroit.
Lions fans went above and beyond in their loyalty to Stafford when they rooted for him to win a Super Bowl with the Rams. Again, the Lions accomplished next to nothing when he was in Detroit, but fans still stood behind him to the detriment of their own draft pick.
That’s how much people here cared about him. But this is completely different.
Even the “Detroit Rams” folks (that phrase still makes me shake my head) probably want to beat Stafford more than they’ve wanted the Lions to win any single game in decades. Have you ever pitched against your best friend in little league or faced former teammates in organized sports? Of course you want to beat them, but more importantly, you desperately don’t want to lose to them.
Nothing can take away what Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell, Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and the rest of the Lions have accomplished this season. But a loss to Stafford sure would leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. And I think it would change how he’s remembered in this city forever.
When the Lions and Rams kick off Sunday night, Stafford will represent the incredibly complex elephant in a raucous Honolulu blue room. There’s a chance everyone’s longtime hero finally becomes the villain.
