Kelly Stafford excited, overwhelmed by Matthew's 1st game back in Detroit

For Kelly Stafford, there's a lot going on and plenty of planning to be done before her family returns to Detroit to watch husband Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams take on the Detroit Lions in the wild-card matchup at 8 p.m. Sunday.

And as of this past Sunday, she didn't have a seat for the game yet, which she plans to attend with their four daughters and extended family at Ford Field.

She gave a peek into all the emotions surrounding the family's return to the Motor City on the latest episode of her weekly podcast, "The Morning After with Kelly Stafford & Hank."

Matthew played for the Lions for 12 seasons before a blockbuster trade to the Rams in 2021, which ultimately netted Los Angeles a Super Bowl win. The Lions got back starting quarterback Jared Goff and valuable draft picks that have helped transform the team.

The wild-card game in Detroit will be Matthew's first time playing at Ford Field since his trade request in January 2021, but he did defeat the Lions in Los Angeles in 2021, 28-19.

The return to Detroit is exciting and overwhelming, Kelly said.

She started crying when asked by podcast co-host Hank Winchester of WDIV-TV what it would be like to be at Ford Field as the wife of the Rams' quarterback instead of the wife of the Lions' quarterback.

"The support that that city gave us on some of the hardest times of our lives will be my immediate feel," she said. "I won’t ever forget walking into that stadium for the first time with my two little daughters in my hands and coming in that tunnel, which will probably be the same tunnel I walk out with the four of my daughters, but I think there’s going to be an overwhelming feeling of just like gratitude and it’s gonna suck because I’m not there to support that team that day. And that’s not gonna be easy. Because again, I don’t know a city that rallies behind people like Detroit does. I really don’t. I don’t know if there is one. And it’s a hard place not to put all your heart into.

"It’s gonna be hard."

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She talked about the loyalty of Detroit fans and said Matthew felt their support during the Rams' Super Bowl run, and that while she will be rooting for the Rams, when she walks around town, she'll be feeling something else.

“In my heart I’ll be saying, ‘God, I love this place and I’m so thankful because I feel like it helped raised me and it helped raise the man my husband is today and it’s where obviously where my four daughters were born. I have so much love in my heart for that place and it’s gonna be hard to want to beat them, but that’s what it is.’”

However tough it will be, they're trying to make the best of it and enjoy the moment.

"If you really think about it, it’s kind of crazy," Kelly said. "I’m telling myself to enjoy it because what was the likelihood that this scenario was gonna happen? That our first game back in Detroit would be a playoff game. You win or you’re out. This is a once-in-a-lifetime feeling, so like enjoy it. (Matthew's) first text to me after this game, ‘Let’s f------ go!’ He’s excited. He’s ready to go back."

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But Kelly is still figuring out how she will get tickets for herself, their kids and extended family.

"… right now there is zero plan," she said. "I don’t know how I am getting there. I don’t know if I’m going into the game, if I’m gonna have a seat. I have parents asking me, I have friends, I have teammates, I have people in Michigan asking me what’s the deal. I don’t know. I don’t know the deal."

She said she usually tries to keep Matthew out of the ticket logistics, but she had to ask for help since remaining tickets are limited.

Matthew's solution was what you'd expect for a calm, cool quarterback. He told her about the one suite still available at Ford Field, which he found on the Lions website.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Rams-Lions wild card: Matthew, Kelly Stafford prep for return to Detroit