The Los Angeles Rams are positioned to make another postseason run in 2025, with their schedule only reinforcing sentiments brewing since free agency and the draft, and quarterback Matthew Stafford described one game as a “fun battle.”
That game will be against his former team, the Detroit Lions. They drafted Stafford No. 1 overall in 2007 before trading him to the Rams in 2021.
The two teams will meet in LA in Week 15 for the third time since the QB was traded.
Stafford is 1-2 in those games, including a loss in the 2024 playoffs. He has lost two straight against his old team as a member of the Rams. Despite that, Stafford is eager to return to the field against the 2024 regular season NFC Champions in 2025. He expects the showdown to “be fun”.
Stafford praised Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who took over the season that the Rams traded for the QB, and Jared Goff, who was a key part of the deal.
He also said they face a “challenge” after losing multiple coordinators this offseason.
“Dan and Jared and those guys did a hell of a job the last couple years getting that thing turned in the right direction. They’re playing really good football. Lost some coordinators and that’s a challenge,” Stafford said on NFL Network on May 14, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on May 15. “Every season is a new season when you step out there and go play. Definitely had some great matchups the last couple years against those guys. It’ll be interesting having it in our place in December. I’m sure it’ll be another good battle.”
Stafford picked in the end zone!
@Lions get another huge stop on defense.
📺: #LARvsDET on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus
The Rams are coming off a stronger postseason showing than the Lions. Detroit lost to the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card Round. Stafford and the Rams pushed the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, to the brink in the NFC Divisional Round.
The Rams have also lost several personnel this offseason. However, they return the most important pieces in Stafford and head coach Sean McVay.
Still, early projections forecast the Rams winning double-digit games in 2025.
Matthew Stafford Keeping in Touch With Former Rams Teammate Cooper Kupp
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams talks with former teammate Cooper Kupp #10.
Stafford and the Rams will do things a bit differently this coming season. That is partly because the team decided to cut Cooper Kupp this offseason after failing to find a trade partner. Kupp signed with the Rams’ NFC West rival, the Seattle Seahawks, in free agency.
The two had grown close in Stafford’s time with the Rams. Stafford said he has texted Kupp “just checking in on him.”
“He’s a few miles away in a different colored jersey and all that kind of stuff, but when we get to talking and texting it’s the same old stuff, just giving each other a hard time and having fun. I did ask him about this, I was like ‘Am I going to be able to say what’s up to you pregame? What’s the deal?’ He’s like ‘I’m going to give you a big bear hug,’” Stafford said, per NFL.com’s Nick Shook.
“I’m excited. Obviously it’s tough when you’ve played with a guy and had as much success as we’ve had together and then move on, but you play this game long enough you understand it’s part of the business, and I think he gets that too.”
Stafford said that he will still be “happy to see” Kupp and hopes he “plays great.” However, he still wants the Rams to win their two meetings in Weeks 11 and 16.
The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue believes Kupp will “bring it” against Stafford and the Rams.
“If former Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp can stay healthy in the back stretch of the season, when both matchups are played between the NFC West foes, he’ll probably bring it against his former longtime team,” Rodrigue wrote on May 14. “Elsewhere, Seattle’s defense got better as time passed last year and should be a fierce group in 2025.”
Matthew Stafford Ready to ‘Prove it’ With Davante Adams
GettyDavante Adams #17 of the New York Jets warms up before facing the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Rams signed Davante Adams to replace Kupp in free agency. Adams was Stafford’s former nemesis with the Lions while the former was a member of the Green Bay Packers. The move has been viewed as an upgrade for the Rams, and Stafford is excited about it, too.
Stafford said Adams has been “great.” He also said that he has been a “fan” of the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver “for a long time.”
Adams has only confirmed what Stafford thought about him since his arrival.
“What he’s been able to do in the league kind of speaks for itself, but then getting to be around him personally every day, working with him, throwing to him, just seeing the kind of professional that he is, he fits right in,” Stafford said, per Shook, noting his good fortunes with playmakers.
“That’s the kind of guys since I’ve been here in L.A. we’ve had, I’ve been lucky enough to throw to a bunch of guys that take the game seriously, love going out and competing and trying to find a way to get better. He’s no different, and we’re definitely excited to have him and I know for me as a quarterback I feel lucky for all the guys I’ve been able to throw to, and he’s definitely up there.”
That is a credit to Rams general manager Les Snead. Snead notably referred to the restructuring of Stafford’s contract as a “renewal of vows.”
Stafford is ready to hold up his end of the deal, saying he feels “good” but must “prove it.”
