As Matthew Stafford hosts the Detroit Lions, Calvin Johnson says who he’s pulling for.

As Matthew Stafford hosts the Detroit Lions, Calvin Johnson says who he’s pulling for.

As the Detroit Lions get ready for a big game against the Los Angeles Rams—the first-ever playoff game at Ford Field—they are stepping up their preparations.

Calvin Johnson, a former wide receiver for the Lions, has declared his loyalty and said which team he will be rooting for in this game.

In a strange turn of events, the Lions will be playing Matthew Stafford, who used to play quarterback for the Lions and is now back in town with the Rams from Los Angeles for the first time.

Calvin Johnson with the Detroit Lions set the NFL record for receiving yards in a season in 2012. No, it’s not just random luck.

Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams won the so-called “triple crown” of receiving in 2021 by having the most catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns in the NFL.

It’s becoming popular. Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua set NFL rookie records this season for catches or yards gained. “Those are the things that they all have in common,” Kupp said. “Matthew Stafford, it is.”

Stafford, the experienced quarterback for the Rams, is one of the best players in NFL history. The 15-year-old pro is ranked 11th in the league in both passing yards (56,047) and scoring (357).

Stafford, 35, played for the Detroit Lions for 12 years before the Rams acquired him in 2021. He led the Rams to an NFL championship win in his first season under coach Sean McVay. While they were hurt a lot in 2022, he led them back to the playoffs.

The Rams and Lions will play in an NFC wild-card meeting at Ford Field on Sunday. It will be Detroit’s first home championship game in 30 years.

This is the return home of a quarterback who played a big role in great seasons for Johnson, Kupp, and Nacua.

“It’s not a coincidence,” McVay responded. “All of those guys are great receivers, and they deserve all the praise they’re getting.”

That is one of the characteristics that makes Matthew unique. I don’t think that’s happening with just anyone, though.

Great quarterback Kurt Warner achieved that for the St. Louis Rams and is now in the Hall of Fame. Warner ran “The Greatest Show on Turf,” an attack that helped the Rams make it to two Super Bowls and win one.

According to Warner, the NFL’s two-time most important player, great players cannot fully utilize their skills without the presence of other outstanding players. The record-setting players and Stafford both gained from each other.

Warner, an expert for NFL Network, said, “When you use history, it’s not just like, ‘Oh well, one guy did something good and anyone could have done it.'”

“It took two, and with Matthew being just as good as he is and those guys having been as good because they are, we can see how great they are.”

Stafford told The Times in October, after Nacua’s record start, that Johnson, Kupp, and Nacua are “three different kinds of receivers” and “different players.”

Stafford said, “I just feel grateful to play alongside guys that are that good! They can get open and create plays.”

“It was fun to be a part of those seasons alongside these guys because they don’t happen very often.” These things are hard to do.

Zac Robinson, the Rams’ quarterbacks coach, is unfazed by Stafford’s involvement in famous games. Robinson first met Stafford in person at the Manning Camp in 2008. Peyton as well as Eli Manning put together this yearly event for quarterbacks.

Robinson was about to start his junior year at Oklahoma State, and Stafford was about to start his final year at Georgia.

Jones said, “As soon as I saw himself throw live, I thought, ‘That looks different than anyone I’ve seen throw a football.'”

The Lions picked up Robinson off waivers in 2010, seventeen years after they picked Stafford with the first pick in the NFL draft. Stafford hurt his shoulder, but Robinson was amazed at how much he had improved as a quarterback.

“He was in Year 2,” Robinson said. “But the amount of information he had about the offense or knowing everyone’s job made me think, Man, this guy is not only very talented; I had no idea how smart he was.” He was in charge of the whole system.