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Matthew Stafford may now be a member of the Los Angeles Rams, but a piece of him will always remain with the Detroit Lions. While preparing for the Rams’ Divisional Round matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, Stafford took some time to assist a Lions fan who splurged on high-priced playoff tickets for his daughter in Detroit.
The fan, Bryson Machonga, begrudgingly sold a number of team memorabilia, including a Stafford jersey, to afford the playoff tickets. Upon hearing about the story, Stafford arranged to send Machonga an autographed jersey to replace the one he gave up for his daughter, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Machonga did not want to give up his original jersey but made the sacrifice to create a lasting memory with his eight-year-old daughter, who is also a die-hard Lions fan. In his original story, he told the Detroit Free Press that he simply hoped Stafford would understand.
With the Lions’ 2025 Super Bowl hopes higher than they have been in decades, playoff tickets quickly became a hot commodity in Detroit. The average ticket cost of the 2025 Divisional Round game at Ford Field was just below $1,000.
Machonga told the Detroit Free Press that Stafford’s honorable act is why he will “always be QB1” of the franchise. Stafford spent the first 12 years of his career in The Motor City and is still the Lions’ all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns by a significant margin.
Unfortunately for Machonga, the Lions were unable to get past the Commanders in their first playoff game. As such, their promising 2024 campaign ended at 15-3.
Despite Jared Goff’s 313-yard performance, Washington remained ahead of Detroit for the entire game. The Commanders forced five turnovers in the game, en route to a 45-31 upset victory.
The Lions entered the playoffs as a popular public bet to win Super Bowl LIX. Their fan-friendly play style overcame the team’s lack of recent success. Detroit is one of just four teams to never appear in a Super Bowl. They came close in 2023, when they entered halftime of the NFC Championship with a double-digit lead, but they fell apart down the stretch and lost to the San Francisco 49ers.
Of Stafford’s 12 seasons in Detroit, the Lions only made the playoffs four times with zero postseason wins. They have since risen from the ashes under head coach Dan Campbell and have seemingly turned the corner to become a premier organization. However, they will undergo another minor rebuild in 2025, with coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn departing for head coaching opportunities.
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