Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford admits he doesn't cheer for any team once his team has been eliminated from the NFL playoffs, not even his former team, the Detroit Lions.
In March 2021, the Detroit Lions traded their franchise quarterback to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff, a 2021 third-round pick, and the Rams' 2022 and 2023 first-round picks.
The two teams met in the playoffs in Detroit last season in the NFC wild-card round, where the Lions edged the Rams 24-23.
Matthew Stafford: "I Don't Root for Anyone" in Playoffs Once Rams Are Eliminated
In a recent appearance on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take," Stafford revealed that he doesn't root for any team in the playoffs once his team has been eliminated.
"No, I'm not rooting for anybody at that point," Stafford said. "I have a couple of teammates, a couple of ex-teammates that I wanted to see play well, and they did, but, at that point, I wished everybody could lose."
Matthew Stafford: "I Don't Root for Anyone" in Playoffs Once Rams Are Eliminated
If Stafford isn't in the playoffs, there is a good chance he isn't watching them.
"I'll peek (at) it, but I'm not invested being like, 'Oh, that'll be a good matchup next week.' I'm like, 'F this. I want to be out there.'"
Matthew Stafford: "I Don't Root for Anyone" in Playoffs Once Rams Are Eliminated
Stafford has been to the playoffs five times in his career, three times with the Lions and twice with the Rams. He never made it out of the first round with the Lions, losing in the wild-card round each time.
In 2021, his first year with Los Angeles, he led them to the Super Bowl, a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
As for if the Super Bowl victory made last season's playoff defeat sting a little less, Stafford said it had the opposite effect.
"I think it's almost the opposite in the fact that I know what that feels like now. I've got the losing in the first round, I've got that one locked up. I know what that one feels like. I've only gotten one taste of the Super Bowl, and I'm like, 'Man, I want to do that.'"
"When you get those opportunities — I've had so many years where we didn't have that opportunity at all to play in the playoffs. When you get the opportunity, you're really close. The fact that Detroit did what they did after they beat us, man, if we win that game, who knows what happens? It makes it almost even harder to be honest."
The Lions defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round, 31-23, before falling to the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31, in the NFC championship game.
Stafford will be entering his fourth season with the Rams and will open the season at the same stadium where last season ended, in Detroit, on Sunday Night Football Sept. 8, at 8:20 p.m. ET.
