Rams QB Matthew Stafford achieves mark vs. Lions not set since Peyton Manning
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The Los Angeles Rams welcomed the Detroit Lions to SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon. This game was of significance to both fanbases as it was the first time the two teams had met since the offseason trade that sent Matthew Stafford to Southern California and Jared Goff to Michigan.
So far, Stafford has thrived with his new team, while it’s been anything but that for Goff and the Lions as they entered the contest in search of their first win. And despite Detroit holding a 19-16 lead after 3 quarters, L.A. scored 11 unanswered points in the 4th to come away with a 28-19 win and improve to 6-1 on the season. The Lions dropped to 0-7.
And Stafford had a terrific game against his former team: he was 28-of-41 for 334 yards, recording 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
According to Elias Sports, that stat line puts him in rare company. Before Sunday, only 8 quarterbacks in NFL history had broken the 300-yard passing mark and thrown for 3 or more touchdowns against their former team. Stafford is now the 9th, and the first since Peyton Manning totaled 386 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Denver Broncos against the Indianapolis Colts on October 21, 2013.
The Rams will be hoping there’s plenty more to come for the 33-year-old as he looks to lead the organization to its first championship since the 1999 season when they were the St. Louis Rams.
Matthew Stafford is the ninth QB with 300 Pass yds and 3 Pass TD in his first game against a former team, and the first since Peyton Manning in 2013 (via @EliasSports). pic.twitter.com/0KfZtRkGB4
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 24, 2021
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
