DETROIT — It doesn’t sound like Matthew Stafford is completely over losing to his former team in January’s wild-card round at Ford Field — who can blame him? — but the Los Angeles Rams quarterback is far enough removed from the defeat that he can at least appreciate the experience.

Stafford, who spent his first 12 NFL seasons in Detroit, said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast that the Lions' 24-23 win produced one of the most special atmospheres he’s ever played in.

“That was honestly one of the best atmospheres I ever played a football game in,” Stafford said. “(Rams head coach) Sean (McVay) and I talk about it all the time; it was incredibly loud. We came out for warm-ups and there was not an empty seat. And I mean, it was go time from the second we first stepped out of the tunnel, so it was a lot of fun.”

It was a storybook finish for the Lions and their fans — the man who’d given them everything but a playoff win over his decade-plus in the Motor City coming back to derail the Lions’ biggest opportunity in decades, only to be beaten by Jared Goff, who the Rams gave up to acquire Stafford in a 2021 trade.

“When I walked into that stadium, I definitely felt (the energy), but once the ball was snapped, it was time to go,” Stafford said. “I was trying to throw for as many yards as I possibly could, score as many touchdowns, and beat the hell out of them. It didn’t go down that way, but that’s all I was trying to do.”

Stafford stepped out of the tunnel that night to a chorus of boos and chants bearing Goff's name. He said he wasn’t surprised at all by the reception, given the stakes.

“I know what kind of fans they are, and honestly, I totally understand it. I get it,” Stafford said. “They’re gonna want to do everything they can to make my life as uncomfortable as possible. They hadn’t had a playoff game there in 30 years, so they’re gonna get jazzed up for whatever, and the fact that it was me and our team, I’m sure it was even more.”

Stafford’s comments echoed those made by Sean McVay, who appeared on the same podcast last week. McVay said the loudest game he’d played in previously was at New Orleans in the 2018 NFC championship game, “and Detroit was louder than that,” McVay said.

“It was sick. It was a sick atmosphere,” McVay said. “I mean, credit to Detroit. ... I came out 60 minutes before kickoff, the stands are full ... everybody’s booing, talking to me, it was great. I loved it.”

Good news for McVay: His team will get to do it all over again soon. The Rams will return to Ford Field to play the Lions on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 1.

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