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Matthew Stafford's return to the Lions with the Rams was supposed to be the main storyline of the NFC Wildcard round playoff game between the teams. And for a while, that is how it panned out. Both he and former Los Angeles pick Jared Goff played phenomenal football as the score was a close 24-20 in favor of Detroit in the third quarter.
But beyond the sentimentality of football, there are the actual plays. And with a little over two minutes left in the fhird quarter, Matthew Stafford took a huge hit. He was converged upon by two different Detroit defenders in the redzone and he was in pain as he got up. His helmet hit the ground and there was a suspicion that he also suffered some injury to his ribs on the play.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford injury update
Matthew Stafford came out of the tent and then came back into the field on their next drive on the fourth quarter. Carson Wentz was being prepared to take over in the case of any contingency but it was not required. It was quite something given how hard the hit was.
Lions already know about their former quarterback's toughness
The Detroit Lions have a lot of love for Matthew Stafford. Many were happy to see him win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams, even though they were rooting against him today. One of the reasons why he is so widely regarded in the Motor City comes down his ability to give it his all on the field.
Back in 2009, he injured his shoulder in a game against the Cleveland Browns. He was in visible distress and it would have been enough to send most quarterbacks out of the game. Instead, not only did he come back to the game, he led Detroit to a winning drive.
That is the toughness that endeared him to one of the grittiest cities in the country. However, that came back to beat them today as Matthew Stafford did not show any signs of pain as he led the Rams on the next drive.
But even then, the Lions faithful were in full voice because of the belief Dan Campbell has given this city. Jared Goff has more than replaced his predecessor in the hearts and minds of Detroit fans, as he led them to the playoffs as the NFC North champions. It was the first time they have been champions of their division since 1993.
