The Divisional Round weekend showed that perhaps the Rams won the Goff/Stafford trade
The Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams both played during the Divisional Round this weekend.
Both teams were hoping to meet once again in the playoffs, just as they did last season, but this time with a place in the NFC Championship at stake.
This would have seen another instalment of Jared Goff vs Matthew Stafford post-trade. However, both teams lost, with the Lions losing in shock fashion.
Ever since the Goff vs Stafford trade went down, there have been debates as to which team they feel won the trade. After the weekend action, maybe the Rams won it after all.
A brief history
Despite guiding the Rams to the Super Bowl in the 2018 season, he was deemed surplus to requirements by head coach Sean McVay just two seasons later. He was seen as a spare part in the trade that saw him go to Detroit along with the Rams’ first round picks in 2022 and 2023, as well as a 2021 third rounder in exchange for Stafford.
The first season could not have gone much worse for Goff. The Lions went 3-10-1 and Stafford won the Super Bowl with the Rams.
However, the Lions have gone 9-8, 12-5 and 15-2 in the three seasons that have followed. They used the picks received from the Rams and turned them into Jahmyr Gibbs. Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams, who have all had a big impact on the Lions’ turn of fortune.
Chants of “Jared Goff, Jared Goff” have flown around Ford Field in the past 12 months, with some even considering him an MVP candidate as the Lions secured their second consecutive NFC North title, with their best regular season record in history. They also secured the number one seed in the process, their first time achieving this feat.
Divisional Round drama
Despite their brilliant 15-2 campaign, the Lions were eliminated at the first hurdle on Saturday night, losing 41-31 to the Washington Commanders as the brilliant Jayden Daniels story continues. This was supposed to be the Lions’ year and they will feel that this was their best chance they’ll ever have squandered.
Meanwhile, whilst the Rams also lost, they at least kept things close. When the Lions were penalised for having a 12th man on the field with the Commanders when down by three in the fourth quarter in the redzone, that was a game clincher for the Commanders. However, in truth, the Lions never looked like winning.
A day later, and the more the game went on in Philadelphia, the more a feeling went round that the Rams could actually win against the Eagles. This is down to the excellence of Stafford, commanding the field and driving the ball down the Rams’ throats.
Did Rams really win the trade?
Stafford had 324 yards and completed 26 from 44 pass attempts. Whereas, Goff had 313 yards, with 23 out of 40 passes completed. These statistics suggest they had equal performances. However, Stafford had two touchdowns and zero interceptions whereas Goff had one touchdown and three interceptions.
This was the difference in performances, not just in the most recent weekend but also in their careers.
This is not the first big game where Goff has struggled. When the Rams reached Super Bowl 53, he had a nightmare. Whilst the whole team struggled, the defense only allowed 13 points that day. Most years, especially these days with the league so offense orientated, this would be enough to win you a Super Bowl.
Fast forward to last season’s NFC Championship and the Lions had a 17-point lead over the San Francisco 49ers at halftime. They allowed 27 unanswered points as the team crumbled at the biggest stage. Whilst this was not down to Goff entirely, it is another big game he has not gotten over the line in.
Meanwhile, Stafford has managed to keep the Rams competitive. Of course, they had the Super Bowl win, but with how he performed in the Eagles loss and most of his biggest career games, you cannot help thinking the Rams won the trade despite the Lions’ use of those draft picks. After all, one team has a Super Bowl, the other team doesn’t.
Andy Davies