After 12 hard-fought seasons playing with the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford has finally broken through and led the Los Angeles Rams to their second Super Bowl title in franchise history.
In his 13th season and first year with the Rams, Stafford has joined elite company and cemented his Hall of Fame legacy after leading Los Angeles to a thrilling Super Bowl win. His quarterback vision, patience in the pocket and clutch playmaking are all attributes that Los Angeles benefited from greatly.
The addition of Stafford not only raised the expectations for the Rams, but they altered the course of Stafford's career with a convincing win at Super Bowl 56. He has now sealed his place to be enshrined in Canton whenever he decides to hang up his cleats.
With all this going for Matthew Stafford, we'll now discuss the two reasons why he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
2. Decade-long struggle in Detroit prepared Matthew Stafford for the Super Bowl
It goes without saying that the stakes were higher than ever with Matthew Stafford coming to the Rams and competing with a star-studded cast all around him, but it can now be officially stated that he lived up to those expectations.
Even though he saw minimal success with the Lions, Stafford always put up MVP-type numbers and was the heart and soul of that team during the entirety of his tenure in The Motor City. Not to mention he still led them to the playoffs three times and put on a show in each postseason appearance they made.
Granted he never he won a playoff game while playing for the Lions, but their biggest issue was always their continued inability to get Stafford the help he needed to succeed beyond the regular season. He had endured a steady dose of disappointments and shortcomings that toughened him up and made him into one of the greatest pressure players of all-time. So during his first go at the Super Bowl with the Rams, he was ready for the big time and played like the superstar he has always been known to be.
The Rams did hit a bit of a skid halfway through the season, but with his persistence and perseverance, Stafford rose to the occasion and was able to get the Rams back on the winning track ahead of the playoffs. Once the postseason began, Stafford was locked in and laser focused as he had already established killer on-field chemistry with Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., Van Jefferson, Tyler Higbee, Sony Michel and Cam Akers.
Whenever the team was faced with adversity, Stafford found a way to pull the Rams out of the deficit they were in and keep the chains moving. His thick skin and hard lessons learned from years of losing transformed him into the winner he'd always been on the inside.
And after the Rams' epic Super Bowl victory this 2021 season, Stafford has proven himself as an all-time great that's bound to be a first-ballot Hall-o-Famer.
1. Matthew Stafford has now played two of the greatest receiving seasons ever
His electric play and veteran leadership have paved the way for him to be a part of two of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history. After witnessing Cooper Kupp's stellar season where he won the triple crown of receiving, offensive player of the year and the Super Bowl MVP, we're often quick to forget that Stafford also played with Calvin Johnson when he recorded 1964 receiving yards in a single season, had the most receiving yards in a five-game span (861), and most consecutive games with 10 or more catches (four).
These accolades are impressive in more ways than one and the fact that Matthew Stafford has been the man behind center for two of the most historic receiving seasons the game's ever seen is just a further testament to his greatness. He may have not won a league MVP yet or have multiple titles, but Stafford's place amongst the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game is definitely in high regard.
After winning the chip this year, he's undoubtedly earned his place among them.