DETROIT – Matthew Stafford is ready for Detroit Lions fans to bring the noise again.
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback, who played in Detroit for 12 seasons, was booed early and often when he returned to Ford Field in January for an NFC wild-card game.
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Jeers turned into cheers when the Lions beat the Rams by a point, ending a 32-year playoff victory drought and sending a former fan favorite back to his new home.
While Stafford’s wife, Kelly, and their three daughters don’t plan to attend the rematch to avoid hearing what fans in the stands say, he said the jeers motivate him.
“I want to hear all of it,” he said.
Stafford’s ears may be ringing Sunday night when the Rams visit Detroit because the franchise’s fans are fired up about potentially having a Super Bowl-contending team to root for — finally.
The defending NFC North champions are coming off their first postseason with two victories since winning the NFL title in 1957, and they tried in the offseason to upgrade on both sides of the ball.
“Our expectations were the same last year as they are now,” said Detroit quarterback Jared Goff, who was acquired along with first-round picks for Stafford in 2021. “Obviously externally, we’ve got a lot more attention.”
Calling an audible
The game is also a homecoming for offensive lineman Jonah Jackson, who spent the past four seasons with Detroit. Lions coach Dan Campbell doesn’t want Jackson’s insights to be an advantage for the Rams.
“We’ve changed a number of things for that,” Campbell said.
The Lions drafted Jackson in the third round in 2020 and he started 57 games over four years, including one with Stafford as a teammate.
Jackson signed a three-year contract with $34 million in guarantees. Detroit signed 34-year-old Kevin Zeitler to a one-year deal to replace Jackson, adding a Pro Bowl player with 181 career starts.
The Rams announced after the preseason that Jackson would be their starting center and Steve Avila would remain at guard after playing center during training camp. Los Angeles has concerns all across its line with veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein hobbling with an ankle injury and Joe Noteboom filling in at left tackle for the suspended Alaric Jackson.
Hole to fill
Aaron Donald, a three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, retired in March, taking one of the league’s most disruptive players off Detroit’s scouting report.
“Yeah, that’s definitely a win,” Goff said. “He’s obviously a Hall of Fame player and was the center point of their defense and someone you always have to plan for and be aware of.”
Rams coach Sean McVay believes the team will still have a strong front with defensive tackles Kobie Turner, who led the team with nine sacks and was third in defensive rookie of the year voting, and fourth-year pro Bobby Brown.
“You’re not ever replacing an Aaron Donald, and that’s not what we’re asking of our guys,” McVay said. “I do miss him, but I’m excited about the opportunity for these guys to go do their thing and start to etch their names in this thing.”
Unsung player
Lions general manager Brad Holmes, a former Rams executive, gave contract extensions worth more than $230 million during the offseason to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
A third player from Detroit’s 2021 draft class, defensive tackle Alim McNeill, might be the next to get a new deal.
“McNeil, I think, is one of the best players in this league that people don’t talk about enough,” McVay said.
She said it
Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said hoisting a Super Bowl trophy is her goal, entering a season with unusually high expectations for a franchise.
“You always hate to say that out loud,” she told The Associated Press during training camp. “I don’t want to jinx anything. I am pretty superstitious, like we all are, right?”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl