This weekend is the start of the playoffs in the NFL. There are several interesting matchups this weekend, but one stands out among the rest. Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions had a special season in 2023, going 12-5 and earning the third seed in the NFC playoffs. Detroit has a home playoff game for the first time since 1993. However, the plot thickens.
Goff and the Lions will also play his former team, the Rams. Los Angeles traded Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford before the 2021 season. The Rams would win the Super Bowl that season and it’s something Goff still thinks about to this day. He knows his matchup with Los Angeles this weekend is important. Goff said the resentment on his shoulder “will never leave me” and that the 29-year-old is ready to get revenge this weekend against the Rams.
Jared Goff and the Lions will host the Rams this weekend for Detroit’s first home playoff game since 1993.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff says trade with Rams will “never leave me” https://t.co/XnJWsvb6r4 pic.twitter.com/3NBSuJvOEy
– Around the NFL (@AroundTheNFL) January 11, 2024
When the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford in 2021, they sent Jared Goff to the Lions. The ending between Goff and Los Angeles did not end as cleanly as both sides would have hoped. To this day, Rams head coach Sean McVay still regrets how Jared’s time in Los Angeles ended. McVay said he’s still grateful for all the years Goff was his quarterback. It’s not that the couple hasn’t had any success. Goff and McVay never had a losing record in their four seasons together. They even made it to a Super Bowl that the team lost.
While Goff was traded to the Lions, his time with Detroit did not start off without problems. The team went 3-10-1 in his first season as the starting quarterback. Detroit rebounded in 2022 with a 9-8 record and narrowly missed the postseason. Goff and the Lions were determined to make the playoffs this season and that’s what they did. The Lions won the NFC North with a 12-5 record this season and are the third seed in the NFC playoffs.
#Lions quarterback Jared Goff on facing Sean McVay and the former Rams team: “Obviously we had our differences at the end, but he’s a great coach. He is a guy who taught me a lot.”
Goff says there is no additional motivation heading into Los Angeles. “I really want to win a playoff game for this city.” pic.twitter.com/gZ3IaqxhRg
– Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 10, 2024
In 2023, Goff started every game for the Lions and was second in the league with 4,575 passing yards. He also had 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season. Almost three years after the blockbuster 2021 trade, the Rams and Lions will meet in the postseason in a game full of exciting storylines. Goff knows how good it would feel for him to beat his former team and head coach who let him go. However, he is more concerned with getting a win for the city of Detroit. The Rams and Lions will play on SNF at 8:00 pm EST.
