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So much for a warm welcome back.
On his return to the Motor City, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was jeered by Detroit supporters during a 24-23 defeat to the Detroit Lions.
Before the team's NFC wild-card playoff game against the Lions began, Stafford was jeered as he came out of the tunnel.
As Stafford came onto the field during the Rams' first series, the jeers persisted. They held firm as the Los Angeles offensive coalesced into a barrier before the team's first play of the contest.
With 4:26 remaining in the first quarter, Stafford ultimately guided the Rams on an 11-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a field goal.
Warm welcome for Stafford 😏 #SuperWildCard
— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2024
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Stafford was the first overall pick by the Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft. Before being traded to the Rams in a 2021 deal that brought Lions starter Jared Goff to Detroit, the Georgia native played his first 12 years of professional football with the Lions.
In many throwing yards and touchdowns, among other QB statistical categories, Stafford leads the Lions in all-time team history. But throughout his time with the team, Stafford was never victorious in a postseason match.
In the first quarter of the NFC Wild Card Playoffs at Ford Field on January 14, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan, Matthew Stafford (#9) of the Los Angeles Rams attempts to pass the ball against the Detroit Lions.
Detroit's first home postseason game in thirty years was Sunday night's wild-card game between the Rams and Lions. The Lions had not won a postseason game since January 5, 1992, which was the worst winless streak in team history until Sunday night.
The quarterback for the Rams said earlier this week that he didn't anticipate receiving much support upon his return to Detroit.
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"I'm the villain who's coming to town. "I play for the opposing team," Stafford said. "They don't want me to succeed."
Tyler Dragon of USA TODAY Sports may be followed on X at @TheTylerDragon.
