Matthew Stafford

Rams' QB Matthew Stafford has the support of Detroit ahead of Super Bowl

Updated Jan. 17, 2023 2:06 p.m. ET

The Los Angeles Rams will have a strong hometown representation at SoFi Stadium for Super Bowl LVI, but they will also have support from an unlikely Midwestern city.

Before coming to the Rams in a trade this past offseason, quarterback Matthew Stafford spent his first 12 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. And it looks like his former city is completely behind him as he looks to win his first Super Bowl this Sunday.

In fact, the support is so strong that Detroit has adopted the Rams as their own for this Super Bowl, with the city selling "Detroit Rams" gear at local apparel store Pro Sports Zone.

In an interview with The Detroit News, John Yu, owner of Pro Sports Zone, says the gear has already been a hot commodity amongst consumers.

"We got them in yesterday, and they have been flying off the shelves," said Yu. "A really hot item."

The Lions have never played in a Super Bowl, though they won four championships before the AFL-NFL merger.

So it makes sense that the city would rally behind one of the franchise's most iconic and accomplished players as he gears up to play on the biggest stage in football.

Though Stafford never had much team success in Detroit, playing in just three playoff games across 12 seasons, he credits the time there with helping develop "the ability to overcome adversity," which he said earlier in the week during media availability.

That adversity was a career 74-90-1 record with the Lions, a far cry from the 12-5 season the Rams enjoyed in 2021 on their way to the Super Bowl.

He even still has a "soft spot" for Detroit, even while Los Angeles is his current home.

Stafford takes the field with a chance to etch his name into NFL lore on Sunday evening.

He will have the full support of two cities when he does.

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Matthew Stafford