Matthew Stafford relishing opportunity to face Lions in second return to Detroit

Matthew Stafford's return to Detroit following the 2021 trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Rams came during last season's playoffs. And when the Rams and Lions squared off in an NFC wild-card matchup, Stafford received an earful from the fan base of his former team, with Detroit pulling out a 24-23 victory.

On Sunday, Stafford will head to Ford Field for Round 2, when he and the Rams face the franchise he led for 12 seasons. While Lions fans barraged Stafford with various chants and constant noise, the quarterback is excited for another loud atmosphere in Week 1, as Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times revealed.

“I want to hear all of it,” Stafford said Wednesday before practice in Woodland Hills. “I want to smell it. I want it to feel like it’s football. That’s part of football, especially going to an away game.”

“That stuff just motivates me.”

Stafford called the booing, chants directed at him and intense atmosphere a "motivating factor" and stated that he loves it.

Stafford completed 25-of-36 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns in the playoff loss. His counterpart and the player he was traded for, Jared Goff, completed 22-of-27 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown. The Lions went on to fall just short of a Super Bowl appearance last season, losing 34-31 to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

While Lions fans love Stafford, who was selected No. 1 in the 2009 NFL Draft by the franchise, Sunday night's matchup is bound to be all business for the home crowd as Detroit enters the new season with sky-high expectations.