Suddenly, Vikings supporters adore Matthew Stafford.

Suddenly, Vikings supporters adore Matthew Stafford.

Since 2009, the Minnesota Vikings have faced veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford on 22 occasions, defeating opposing teams 60% of the time.

However, Vikings supporters became unlikely bedfellows with Stafford this week. Why? Well, both parties hold the same opinion regarding a specific player: safety Kirby Joseph of the Detroit Lions.

On Sunday, at Ford Field in Detroit, the Detroit Lions or Los Angeles Rams will meet in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.

This encounter comes three seasons after the two teams traded quarterbacks, which significantly impacted the course of each franchise.

Since their blockbuster trade on January 30, 2021, which sent Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles and propelled the team to the Super Bowl the following year, and Jared Goff and three draft picks to Detroit, which helped launch its rebuild that culminated in its first division title in three decades this season, the two teams have been inextricably linked.

After a dismal 5-11 campaign and the conclusion of the 2020 season, the Lions initiated a fresh trajectory with the dismissal of GM Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia.

Sheila Hamp appointed Dan Campbell, a former Rams player, as the team’s head coach, while Brad Campbell, a former New Orleans Saints player, became the general manager.

Approximately two years before the Rams trade, the Staffords had acquired a residence in Newport Coast, California.

During the trade rumors that first surfaced the year before the Rams transaction, his wife, Kelly, kept no secret of her desire to remain in the area.

“Well, Detroit is no longer with us.” “I could remain in California,” she wrote in an Instagram story in response to an article’s headline that speculated Stafford’s most probable trade destination would be the Los Angeles Chargers.

According to an article published in the Detroit Free Press that morning following the trade announcement by Birkett, the Lions treated Stafford fairly despite their failures with Barry Sanders or Calvin Johnson.

Concurrently, the Rams and head coach Sean McVay had developed a negative perception of Goff, notwithstanding their successful run to the Super Bowl two years prior.

The Rams acquired Goff’s four-year, $134 million extension of the contract in 2019, which they now wish to terminate immediately.

The former Rams director of college scouting, Holmes, was intimately acquainted with Goff from their five years together in Los Angeles.

During Goff’s tenure at California, Holmes personally scouted him and advocated for a trade that resulted in the Rams ascending 14 positions in the draft to acquire Goff in 2016.

However, the Hockenson injury rumors dissipated after the Vikings failed to make the playoffs, rendering Joseph’s concerns irrelevant. Later, in the Wildcard Round of the postseason, he once again demonstrated his mischievous nature.

Joseph collided with Los Angeles Rams defensive end Tyler Higbee at the knees this time, which, you guessed it, put an end to his season as well as Hockenson’s. The same individual also similarly injured Higbee.

Joseph used the X app to place the blame for the injury on football as a sport rather than on himself following last weekend’s Lions-Rams game: “ALL SERIOUSNESS… THIS GAME WE PLAY IS VERY DANGEROUS…

I am praying for my brother and his family. “I have no intention of causing harm to anyone or damaging their career. I have been an MF dog since the moment I was born, and none of you on this platform are permitted to take that off of me.”

He further stated shortly thereafter, “And you all are talking nonsense here… ALL ARE SEEN AND HEARD BY GOD.” I would not wish that upon my most formidable adversary.” They desired a quarterback upgrade. One was located in Stafford.

It appears that Joseph either targets the weak spots of his opponents or is the league’s unluckiest but most empathetic defender. In 2023, no other NFL player will possess a reputation as devastating as this one. Exclusively Joseph.

Joseph stated regarding his playing style in 2022, “Do you feel that if you want the ball, you must pay a price? There is nothing free in this area, particularly if you approach me.” It is sufficient to continue creating plays.”