Super Bowl 2022: Matthew Stafford battles through trials and tribulations to reach pinnacle

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Matthew Stafford made the most out of his first season with the Los Angeles Rams.

He helped the team win the NFC West, he led the team to an NFC Championship and picked up his first Super Bowl ring on Sunday night after Los Angeles defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20.

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) gestures at the line of scrimmage against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl LVI football game Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (Associated Press)

Stafford was 26-for-40 with 283 passing yards, three touchdown passes and two interceptions. Two of his three touchdown passes were to game MVP Cooper Kupp.

Professional and personal struggles

But it was a long and arduous journey to get to this point.

The Detroit Lions selected Stafford with the No. 1 pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played 12 seasons with the Lions, playing every single game nine out of the 12 years he was there. He took his bumps and bruises during that time, only making the playoffs three times in those years he spent in Detroit.

Toward the end of his run, he and his family had a harrowing experience.

Los Angeles Rams' quarterback Matthew Stafford kisses wife Kelly Hall after winning Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on February 13, 2022. (Getty Images)

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Stafford’s wife, Kelly, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2019. She underwent a 12-hour surgery to have the tumor removed. She told NBC Sports earlier this month about her recovery.

"Yeah, I mean, it just, they wiped out my balance. So, relearning, my brain had to just kind of figure out what it was going to rely on. It’s kind of a crazy thing, they wipe out one side and all of a sudden your brain’s being taught just to rely on your left side. So, it was a process. But again, I had him, I had a ton of support. And when you have kids, you’re going to fight even harder to get back sooner," she said.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford celebrates after the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL Super Bowl 56 football game Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (Asssociated Press)

"So that’s just what we did and I relied on him a bunch. I mean, talk about caregiver. He he had all my medications lined up. He had alarms for when I was taking all these medications doing anything and everything to make sure I was OK."

Everything changed

Everything changed for Stafford and his family in 2021 during a trip to Mexico.

Stafford met with Rams coach Sean McVay and offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth and things took off from there. According to ESPN, Stafford became impressed with McVay’s memory recall and the two got to talking even more and their relationship began to explode during the vacation.

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Soon after, the Rams would trade Jared Goff to the Lions for Stafford.

The rest is really history.

Stafford played in every game during the 2021 season, finishing with 4,886 passing yards and tied his career-high for touchdown passes with 41. He was also only sacked 30 times – the lowest total for him in at least 16 games since the 2013 season.

He and his wife would share a loving embrace in the middle of SoFi Stadium after the Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers. 

Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams and wife Kelly Hall react after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium on Jan. 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California. The Rams defeated the 49ers 20-17. (Getty Images)

All of the hard work, all the bumps and bruises and all the trials and tribulations he went through culminated in a Super Bowl championship over the Bengals.

Stafford led a 15-play drive at the end of the game and threw the game-winning touchdown to Kupp.

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Los Angles could be on the brink of another playoff run next season. Cooper Kupp will be back and Robert Woods will likely be back as well after he missed most of the season with an injury. Los Angeles could re-sign Odell Beckham Jr. too and add another weapon on the offense for the long-term.