Does Detroit Lions' playoff game vs. Rams mean more to Matthew Stafford or Jared Goff?

We have arrived.

It has been a long journey, this Road to the Playoffs, but we’re finally here. We know the opponent, the day, the time and the stakes.

And it’s just a beautiful piece of poetry, sent to us from beyond the cosmos, that the Detroit Lions will get to welcome Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to his old haunt Sunday night with the perfect opportunity to exorcise the ghosts of his past and his legacy in Detroit.

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Or was he the embodiment of his alter ego, Stat Padford? You know, the erstwhile “china doll” coddled star who was rarely challenged by coaches or ownership on his way to erecting statistical monuments to his personal passing glory, then engineered a craven exit before a new regime arrived without any allegiance to an aging player who had helped get three coaches and two general managers fired?

The answer probably lies somewhere between these two extreme views.

What I can tell you for certain is that this matchup between the Lions and the Rams is a gift from the football gods. It’s a made-for-primetime showdown that I'm not ashamed to admit I’m excited to watch.

And that’s saying a lot because I’ve been doing my job so long that it takes a lot for me to get excited about any one game or matchup. Yet I found myself quietly cheering in the nearly empty Ford Field press box Sunday night for the Rams' backups to beat the 49ers' backups so that we could have this game.

The other options for the sixth seed would have been the Packers (gross) or the Seahawks (yawn). It wasn’t even close between the potential opponents I desired. Even if I weren’t a sports writer, or if I lived outside of Michigan, I would want to see this game.

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But because I made a decade-long investment in covering Stafford, this game is a little personal to me. Although I have no rooting interest in the outcome, I want to see how the story continues to play out between Stafford and the Lions.

The irony is that Dan Campbell doesn’t view this game at anywhere near the same level as the rest of us who lived through the fascinating Stafford era. And why would he? It’s an emotional connection, not an intellectual one.

“I mean, I understand why people will be fascinated by it, I get them,” the Lions coach said Monday. “So I guess I can appreciate if I’m sitting where other people are. Yeah, I mean I understand it’s one of these stories.”

Campbell tried to veer toward emphasizing that the game is about winning as a team, in all three phases. It sure is, and this game carries significant weight — and a lot more significant weight for Campbell and the Lions than it does for Stafford and the Rams.

Campbell’s detachment actually helps him and his team. Other than his history as a New Orleans assistant when the Saints lost at home to the Rams in the 2018 NFC title game on a terrible non-pass interference call, he has no connection, rivalry or animosity toward the Rams.

And if the Lions lose to the Rams, it would be a less painful loss than falling to the hated, Aaron Rodgers-less Packers, or to the kryptonite Seahawks yet again. There wouldn’t be as much shame in losing to the Rams, who are scorching hot — seven wins in eight games — and just two years removed from winning the Super Bowl.

The Lions are the NFC’s third seed and hosting their first playoff game in 30 years, so losing to any team would sting for fans. And losing to Stafford at Ford Field would hurt on a whole different level, further validating Stafford’s decision to leave. Kind of like an ex who dumps you only to return in your worst moment to say: “See? This is why I left you.”

But we can’t forget the X-factor in those whole story and this game. The only player who Campbell has to be concerned with. The only player with something to truly prove in order to achieve closure with a terrible ending.

The only player Campbell mentioned by name when he was discussing the significance of the matchup.

“It’s a reminder too, though, and (Jared) Goff knows this for example, but we win as a team,” he said. “Man, this is about the Lions versus the Rams, and we win with three phases here and he’s a huge part of that and all he’s got to do is do his part and he knows that. So just do what you’ve been doing all year.”

This was a not-so subtle public reminder to Goff that it’s not all on him, though it is kind of all on him. But that’s not much different than the way the Rams’ chance of victory is also kind of all on Stafford.

Stafford's return will be the dominant narrative this week. But this game has to mean more to Goff. He was the castoff who was treated shabbily by Rams coach Sean McVay at the end, benched in favor of John Wolford. He’s the one who has had to endure a rebuild and a mid-season coordinator change.

Stafford will always belong to Detroit, the same way Justin Verlander will, because their stories started here. But this week, we get to enjoy the next part of that story, and probably its most important chapter. Because we have finally reached the end of the Road to the Playoffs and have begun a new journey: The Road to Redemption.

Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jared Goff has most invested in Detroit Lions' playoff game vs. Rams