Playing against Matthew Stafford guarantees Tom Brady a Super Bowl ring

As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare for a primetime matchup in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, a storyline about Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford sticks out.

It will mark the first time Brady will play in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium, where he hopes to play next February for Super Bowl 56. The meeting will also be Stafford’s first major test of his brief Rams tenure since being acquired this past offseason.

Brady-Stafford showdown may have Super Bowl ramifications

Although it’s extremely early, the Buccaneers and Rams appear poised for promising seasons that could feature a rematch in the playoffs. Brady already possesses some unique history with the Rams having won a pair of Super Bowls against the franchise.

However, he also features a unique standing with Stafford as his championship success has an uncanny connection to the Rams’ new franchise cornerstone. In each of the previous four meetings against the 33-year-old’s previous team, the Detroit Lions, Brady reached the Super Bowl.

The first instance almost occurred in 2010 in Stafford’s second campaign as he missed the Week 12 matchup due to being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Brady went on to lead the Patriots to Super Bowl 46 but lost to Eli Manning and the New York Giants for the second time.

The second occurrence came in 2014 as Stafford took the field for the Lions in yet another Week 12 matchup as Brady once again came out on top with a 34-9 win.

Despite the setback, Stafford led Detroit to win its final four games of the 2014 season to clinch a playoff berth. The Lions would lose in the wildcard round, a common theme for the star quarterback with the franchise.

Meanwhile, Brady guided the Patriots past the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49.

The two matched up again in 2018 in Week 3 action with Stafford finally getting the best of Brady. Detroit entered the contest with a 0-2 record, but handily beat the Patriots 26-10 by limiting the future first-ballot Hall of Famer to only 133 passing yards and pushing New England to a 1-2 record.

New England bounced back from early-season struggles to reach Super Bowl 54, where Brady battled through a defensive showdown against the Rams. The final meeting between the two came last year, but Stafford exited the game after suffering an ankle injury, while Brady comfortably guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a convincing 47-7 win in Week 16

The win occurred during the Buccaneers’ strong finish to the regular season, winning their last four games heading into the playoffs. The momentum carried over into the postseason, where Brady led the team to three straight road wins to earn a Super Bowl berth.

Tampa Bay dominated the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55 behind their stout defense and flawless play from Brady, garnering him his seventh Super Bowl win and fifth Super Bowl MVP award.

As the two face off officially for the third time, history may be on Brady’s side but Stafford is hopeful things will unfold much differently in a Rams uniform. Nonetheless, it’s a remarkable odd connection between the two star quarterbacks over the years.

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