The NFL playoffs are full of storylines and it’s no secret that one of the best will be played out in Detroit. Matthew Stafford returns to face the franchise that drafted him in the Lions’ first-ever home playoff game at Ford Field. For Lions QB Jared Goff, it’s an opportunity to get one over on the franchise and the coach that traded him.
The Lions were a wasteland when Goff was dealt to Detroit: a new head coach who told the media he was going to bite off kneecaps, a roster ravaged by Matt Patricia, and a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since the nineties.
Left in career turmoil, Goff and the Lions have risen from rock bottom to legit Super Bowl contender. Stafford, who endured years of Detroit idiocy, went to Los Angeles and won a Super Bowl. The story has been told, the next chapter has yet to be written. Goff and redemption, Stafford and the return. Sean McVay versus the QB he threw away. This is a storyteller’s dream.
Well, McVay isn’t a storyteller, and the Super Bowl-winning coach isn’t playing into narratives. When talking about his former quarterback, McVay had this to say after the Rams’ win on Sunday.
“I have more appreciation for him as time goes on,” McVay said of Goff. “He’s nothing but a class act and man, did he do a lot of really good things here for us. He’s done great stuff for them. There’s a reason they’re in this position. We’ve got to do the best that we can to go play a good, clean game and try to be able to come away with a win, but they’ve been an excellent offense and he’s done a great job orchestrating it. He and Coach Johnson, and obviously Coach Campbell. I think those are fun narratives, but there’s nothing but appreciation and gratitude from me.”
McVay recognized the circumstances and the appearance of the Goff trade by saying, “you guys know, there’s different things that occurred, but there’s nothing but good vibes on my end. We’re going to go in there and we know we’re going up against an excellent football team.”
McVay finished by adding this: “I don’t get too caught up in that. I think it’s really about our team versus their team. There’s some familiarity, just like he has familiarity with us. I think there’s going to be a lot of fun, external narratives, but I think it really is going to be about us as a football team going there and trying to play good, complementary football and put it all together. This is why you do it. These are awesome opportunities. The atmosphere we all know is going to be great and that’s what NFL playoff football is all about. I’m just excited to find out whether we’re playing on Saturday or Sunday.”
Not looking to give the Lions any more bulletin board material, he kept his answers professional and complimentary. For the Rams, securing a win on wild-card weekend is the only thing on their mind.
