In 2009, Matthew Stafford arrived in Detroit as the potential savior for one of the most long-suffering franchises in the league. While he was always able to pad up the stat sheets, overall team and playoff success did not consistently follow. Stafford still remembers how the New Orleans Saints leveled the Detroit Lions when they met in the 2011 NFC Wild Card Round.

“Man, there was a lot going on. I was going up against Drew Brees, right? So that was just like, ‘Oh man, what do I have to do to try to win this game?’” Stafford said on the Green Light podcast. “We actually started the game well, had the lead at halftime, and then I think they came and scored like 35 unanswered and blew the doors off us.

“It’s a lot, right? I think you’re always making the dance, man. Making the playoffs, you’re so hopeful. You never know. It’s like, ‘Oh man, there’s a new juice that comes alive.’ It’s like, ‘Man, we’re only a few games away from doing what we’ve always wanted to do.’ But at the same time, after we lost that game, I just used it as an experience to learn. Unfortunately, we didn’t get back there enough when I was in Detroit. Only two other trips and had a tough loss in Dallas and another one in Seattle.”

This was the Lions’ first playoff appearance since the 1999 season, and Stafford managed to bring them there in just his third year in the league. The 35 unanswered points helped the Saints ultimately win 45-28. Stafford first-hand witnessed Drew Brees do what he does best, as the latter carved up the Lions’ defense with 466 passing yards and three touchdowns.

The former Lions quarterback, however, couldn’t do much to catch up. Brees’ heroics forced Stafford to up the ante and play hero ball too, which led to two interceptions from him in the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately for Stafford, that was only the beginning of a frustrating trend. The Lions made it back to the playoffs in 2014 and 2016, but dropped both games in the first round, facing the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks, respectively. In his 12 seasons with the Lions, Stafford was only able to make three playoff appearances in total.

However, he could only do so much. During this stint, Detroit probably had only one strong defensive showcase, in 2014. Their running game was no better, as the Lions had only one talented rusher in Reggie Bush in 2013.

But with the Los Angeles Rams, Matthew Stafford has found it far easier.

In his first season with the Rams, he won the Super Bowl LVI.  Since then, the QB has been a regular in the playoffs, having made three more appearances. Last season, he was only one step away from the Super Bowl game, but was still crowned the NFL MVP. At age 37, Stafford threw for a remarkable 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns to just eight interceptions.

In these past five seasons, the Rams have had three 1000-yard rushers and two top-10 defenses, providing Stafford with plenty of help.

“Since I’ve been here in LA, we’ve had a lot of success in the playoffs and I’ve had a lot of fun playing in them,” Stafford said.

From watching Brees annihilate his team in his first playoff appearance to finally matching up to his impact in the league, Matthew Stafford has come a long way. And now, fresh off the best season of his career yet, he will look to get his second Lombardi Trophy this year.