Peyton Manning predicted the Lions' future back in 2008, and it took very little for him to do, did he do it again this year?

Who remembers the 2008 Detroit Lions season? Me either. Not sure what happened that year. But I do know what happened in the off-season that followed it. The thing is, I didn't know ahead of time. Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning sure did, though. 

Manning's older brother, Cooper Manning, was on the Under the Numbers podcast over the weekend, and he told a story about how he had Matthew Stafford at the Manning Passing Academy in 2008 and how, after one throw, he knew Stafford was a future number one draft pick. 

"I can remember standing next to Peyton one time when these college kids were throwing, and Matthew Stafford dropped back and threw one. Peyton was like, 'Yep, he'll be the No. 1 pick,'" said Cooper. "It was like two throws — it was that simple."

Stafford would go on to throw 3,549 yards and 25 touchdowns for the Georgia Bulldogs that season, and the Lions took him with the first pick in the draft the following April. Stafford played with the Lions until 2020 and holds a ton of the franchise's passing records. 

He was traded to the Rams for Jared Goff and multiple draft picks in 2021. Manning made another predictive type of statement shortly after that trade. 

"I like Jared Goff. Look, let's face it. He got punched to the gut, Pat, by getting traded. I got cut, at least I had a choice of where I wanted to go play. Jared gets traded to a team he knows nothing about. It's a punch to the gut. He knows Stafford and the Rams are off to a good start. He's handled it like a pro. He's a mentally tough kid, you can build an offense around him. It's going to take a little time. It's not going to be today or this season. But I'm telling ya, Jared Goff has what it takes to be a championship quarterback, there's no doubt about it." 

So far, he's right. It didn't happen overnight. The Lions took a little time to build that offense around him, and now we've watched Goff lead the best offense in the NFL for two straight seasons while putting up top-five quarterback numbers. There's just one part of this prediction that needs to come true, and that's the championship part. 

It seems like Manning thinks that could be a possibility. After the Lions lost to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional round, Manning texted Lions head coach Dan Campbell to give some advice. 

“I said, ‘I know how you feel, I’ve been there, and it’s not a good feeling,’” Manning said. 'Understand that, but we did win the whole thing the next year.’ You just kind of keep sawing wood.”

Manning is referring to the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts, who got knocked out of the divisional round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. That team went 12-4 the next year and beat the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl. The Lions could wind up having a very similar path to their first title in 2025.