When the Los Angeles Rams traded for former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, they did so with one clear goal — winning a Super Bowl. That bold gamble paid off, as Stafford helped lead the Rams to a championship victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
Since then, Los Angeles hasn’t been able to replicate that same success, but Stafford has been quietly putting together one of the best seasons of his career. At the halfway mark of the current campaign, his performance has been strong enough to earn him legitimate MVP buzz.
However, Sunday’s impressive win over the San Francisco 49ers came with a bittersweet twist: it underscored just how much of Stafford’s prime years were spent toiling away on struggling Lions teams.
A Long-Awaited Milestone
According to ESPN Insights, the victory marked a historic personal achievement for Stafford:“Matthew Stafford just reached a .500 career win percentage for the first time,” ESPN reported. “At 231 starts, that’s the most starts by a quarterback before hitting .500 since official records began in 1950.”
It’s a stat that both celebrates Stafford’s perseverance and highlights how many years he spent carrying underperforming rosters in Detroit.
Fan Reactions Pour In
Football fans quickly took to social media to react to the milestone, many expressing sympathy for how Stafford’s early career unfolded.“Too bad he and Megatron didn’t get to play somewhere else,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another added,“Man, the Lions were rough. I get it as a Raiders fan. At least they had a real franchise QB.”
A third fan drew comparisons to another Super Bowl-winning quarterback:“He needed a stacked team for his one ring. Eli has two, and people still think Stafford’s more Hall of Fame worthy. Not saying he isn’t — but if he is, so is Eli.”
What It Means for Stafford’s Legacy
Despite the ups and downs of his career, Stafford continues to build an impressive résumé that keeps him in the Hall of Fame conversation. His numbers, leadership, and late-career resurgence in Los Angeles strengthen his case — even if it took far longer than expected for his win–loss record to reflect his talent.
As Stafford continues to chase another postseason run with the Rams, fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see whether his late-career surge can cement his legacy among the game’s greats.
