Lions defeated Matthew Stafford, Rams in wildcard playoff round

DETROIT – Kelly Stafford claims Detroit Lions fans booed her four young daughters during the playoff game against the Rams.

Matthew and Kelly Stafford brought their children to Detroit for the first-ever playoff game at Ford Field. This was their first time back at the stadium since the Lions traded Matthew Stafford to the Rams in 2021.

Even though the Lions fan base has continued to support the Staffords since the trade, this game was obviously different. He stood directly in the way of the Lions advancing in the playoffs, so for this one night, he was the enemy.

That’s how sports work, and the Staffords understand that. Kelly Stafford said on an Instagram story that her husband didn’t taken the boos personally.

“I loved the atmosphere, and the booing just gave my husband more fire,” she wrote. “The more you love, the more you hate. I consider it all love going both ways.”

But she did drop one accusation that didn’t go over well.

“It’s sports,” she wrote. “The city wants to win. Everything is fair game, except the fans who booed my children.”

The Stafford have twin 6-year-old daughters, a 4-year-old, and a 2-year-old. So booing them, even though their dad was the opposing team’s quarterback, does seem a bit over the line.

But it’s hard to imagine there were many Detroiters viciously booing young girls. A few rogue fans in a stadium of thousands? Maybe. But Kelly Stafford should know better than to give those outliers extra attention.

On her podcast with Local 4′s Hank Winchester, she said she understands why fans booed Matthew.

“Did I think we were going to come in there and Matthew was going to get a standing ovation? Absolutely not,” Kelly Stafford said. “There was no chance. Listen, we left, we won one. I think that’s a little bit like — people were pumped for us but also there were some fans that were pissed that we won one right away. So I do think in this scenario, you hear the boos. They’re louder than anything else. But this is a football game. It’s a playoff football game. We’re coming in as the enemies. But I’m seeing all these things being like, ‘Well, obviously we’re booing the other team.’ Get out. You weren’t booing the other team. You were specifically booing my husband when he ran on that field, and that’s OK. I’m OK with that.”

Either way, it doesn’t seem like the Staffords came away from this matchup thrilled with the Lions fan base. Matthew Stafford made sure to specify in his pregame press conference that he was “happy for the players.”

Kelly Stafford did say she hopes the Lions “bring home a Lombardi to that city because that feeling is like no other. Go get it.” So who knows? Maybe it was just frustration in the heat of the moment.