Matthew Stafford has been thrust into the national spotlight this season with the Los Angeles Rams.
He was always a talented quarterback with the Detroit Lions, but the team was more of a lovable loser than a contender during his time in Michigan.
He is now leading a team with championship aspirations and has a tough opening matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.
This will mark Stafford’s fourth career postseason game.
He went three times with the Lions, losing the first game each time.
The 33-year-old had been climbing the all-time leaderboards for years and his lack of a playoff win has him holding what is an unwanted NFL record.
Matthew Stafford has his sights set on earning his 1st career playoff win.
His 323 career TD passes are the most by any QB in NFL history that’s never won a postseason game. pic.twitter.com/4hFdYDvjCK
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 17, 2022
He has the most touchdown passes in NFL history without a playoff win at 323.
Sonny Jurgensen is the next closest at 255.
That proves just how shocking it is that the Lions struggled so much with Stafford leading the way for a decade.
A Great Shot To Start Anew
Stafford being traded to the Rams was an absolute gift.
He joined one of the most talented teams in football and spent the 2021 season getting Cooper Kupp into the NFL MVP conversation.
Stafford himself would have an MVP case if Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers weren’t absolutely dominating and making it seem like their respective primes will never end.
The Rams quarterback finished with 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns, and a 12-5 record.
Matt Stafford was the QB for the top two receiving-yard seasons in NFL history 😳
🏈2012 Calvin Johnson 1,964
🏈2021 Cooper Kupp 1,913+ pic.twitter.com/JtNWmHqfuU— ESPN (@espn) January 9, 2022
The only alarming part was the league-leading 17 interceptions.
Winning a single postseason game should not be so hard for a quarterback with so many career touchdowns.
But playing for a franchise that has not won a playoff game in over three decades explains his past situation.
Stafford can chart out a new career narrative with a win Monday night.
Yet a loss will bring up an idea that perhaps he is just not cut out for postseason success.
NEXT: NFL World Reacts To The Eric Weddle News