The next postseason chapter of Matthew Stafford’s career will begin at the place “where it all started.”
When commemorating the end of the regular season Sunday, wife Kelly Stafford tipped her hat to the Rams quarterback, who will face his former Lions team Sunday in an NFC wild-card matchup.
“Another amazing season old man. Year 15 and you’ve never looked better,” Kelly gushed of Stafford, 35, on Instagram.
“Time for post season and to head back to where it all started.”
Stafford — who shares four daughters with Kelly, his wife of eight years —spent the first 12 seasons of his career in Detroit after the Lions selected him first overall in the 2009 NFL Draft.
He was traded to the Rams in a January 2021 blockbuster that sent Jared Goff, the team’s then-quarterback, to the Lions.
The Rams experienced immediate success following the trade, bolstering their roster with Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. en route to a Super Bowl win in February 2022.
Although the Rams dropped off a year later, finishing the season at 5-12, they clinched a playoff spot this season in late December after a Seahawks loss to the Steelers.
The Rams capped off the regular season Sunday with a 21-20 victory over the 49ers to improve to 10-7.
As for the Lions, following a brutal 3-10-1 season in 2021, Goff and company continued to surge, ending 2022 at 9-8.
Detroit wrapped up the NFC North title in late December — the Lions’ first in 30 years.
Goff, a fellow former first-overall pick, passed for 4,575 yards this year, along with 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions through 17 games, in which the Lions finished at 12-5.
The Rams and Lions will kick off at Ford Field on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.