Ranking NFL wild-card games: Matthew Stafford vs. Lions, Jared Goff vs. Rams atop must-see revenge matchups

The playoffs are here! The most glorious time of the year is upon us, with the 2023 NFL regular season coming to an exciting conclusion and a wide-open race remaining for a Super Bowl. You could talk me into just about any matchup between any team on both sides of the bracket. 

In fact, I would believe you if you told me [insert any team here] beat [insert any team here] in the wild card round. Even the Steelers beating the Bills! Maybe. Anyway, let’s rank the matchups for Super Wild Card Weekend from best to worst. Hope you like the flavor of REVENGE. 

The super rare Double Revenge Game™️ with Matthew Stafford heading back to Detroit to play the Lions in Detroit for the first time since being traded to the Rams. Of course, the Stafford swap featured Jared Goff going from L.A., to Motown, which means it’s an even bigger revenge game for the former Rams top pick. Stafford went No. 1 overall as well, which gives this a little extra juice I suppose, not that a playoff game in Detroit needs any extra juice whatsoever. Just ask Stafford: he played 12 years for the Lions and this will be his first ever playoff game at Ford Field. The last time these two teams played post trade, Stafford completed 69% of his passes while throwing for 334 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Quite the effort! Goff was a lot less impressive, but he’s really developed into a viable franchise quarterback under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The Rams are as hot as any team in the NFL lately, the Lions are hosting their first playoff game in forever and if it was Stafford who broke their souls in Detroit it would be tough to stomach.

A rematch of the Germany game from earlier this year, this game feels like a letdown, but not because of the quality, instead because of how the Dolphins went from a lock to clinch the AFC East to losing to the Bills on Sunday night in the season finale and now having to…


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Author : Will Brinson

Publish date : 2024-01-09 15:00:50

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