Getty Matthew Stafford versus the Seattle Seahawks on November 19, 2023 in Inglewood.
Matthew Stafford has had a lot to get used to since 2021 in Southern California.
The quarterback has had to feel warmer climate, have patience with the traffic and finally, adjust to the Los Angeles Rams.
Stafford, though, had to make one more adjustment from his days with the Detroit Lions. He can now stay home on Thanksgiving.
Does Matthew Stafford Miss Playing on Thanksgiving?
Stafford playing on Turkey Day became a yearly occurrence in the NFL. The Lions are one of two teams annually who play on the holiday (Dallas Cowboys are the other). Does he miss throwing the ball on the holiday?
The Super Bowl 56 winner told the L.A. media how he felt about always playing on that day.
“I loved it. I love playing in that game,” Stafford said.
He then shared what he loved the most about the holiday game.
“I love playing the early game, especially always at home,” Stafford said. “It’s a pretty good gig. Go play the game and come home, have Thanksgiving dinner like everybody else pretty much at 5:30 or 6:00 and watch whatever game is on at that point.”
Next part he loved was the rest aspect.
“Then you’ve got the rest of the weekend off so you don’t have to watch what you eat, kind of have a good time with it,” Stafford said. “Last couple years, obviously little different stories so got to kind of pace yourself on Thursday and make sure you don’t go too crazy knowing you’ve got a game on Sunday.”
He hasn’t played on the holiday since 2020 in his transition to L.A.
“It’s something I miss for sure and just that tradition is a really cool one,” Stafford said. “It’s something that the city of Detroit and in Dallas obviously but grew up watching that game as a Cowboy fan, played in it in Detroit for a bunch of years.”
Is Stafford in Thanksgiving Record Books?
Stafford made sure to take advantage of his Thanksgiving opportunities. He’s now in the holiday record books.
Noted by Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports, Stafford has thrown the most passing yards ever on Turkey Day at 3,000. The next closest to him is Tony Romo, with 2,338 career yards. Troy Aikman comes in third by netting 2,174 yards.
Stafford holds other accolades on the November day. He threw the fourth-most yards on Thanksgiving with 441 in 2012. He and Romo wound up throwing the second-most touchdown passes in a single Thanksgiving game with five — with Stafford’s output in 2015.
However, Stafford lost his last Thanksgiving game in 2020. The Houston Texans rolled to a 41-25 romp at Ford Field. Stafford tallied 295 yards that day on 28-of-42 passing. But he got sacked four times.
Stafford was originally scheduled to play on Christmas Day 2022 against the Denver Broncos. But, he stood on the sidelines as he was out with spinal cord contusion. But the Rams rolled to the impressive 51-14 rout at SoFi Stadium with Baker Mayfield handling the passer reins.
Now, Stafford has adjusted to playing in the gameday lineup on the Sunday after Thanksgiving the last three seasons.