Since winning their first division title in 30 years this past Sunday, the Detroit Lions have become the topic of conversation on many national sports talk shows this week, especially the Pat McAfee Show. On Wednesday, the chatter about the Lions continued on McAfee’s show. This time, instead of interviewing one of the franchise’s former adversaries, it involved one of their all-time greats, Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders.

In the 20-minute-plus interview, Sanders touched on a bevy of topics, including the Lions’ division title win, of course, the turnaround under head coach Dan Campbell, and whom he thinks will be this season’s NFL MVP. But Sanders also touched on a topic that’s quickly garnering much discussion: a potential clash with the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.

The No. 3-seeded Lions would host the No. 6-seeded Rams at Ford Field if the playoffs began this weekend. Not only would this be Ford Field’s first-ever playoff game, but it would also be Matthew Stafford’s first game back in Detroit following his trade to the Rams. Sanders mentioned how Stafford would be welcomed back if the matchup takes place, given that he played his first 12 NFL seasons with the Lions.

Sanders stated, “I believe they’ll be really friendly to Matt Stafford.” “I believe we value his time spent with the Lions. We’re happy he got the opportunity to go win a chip a few years ago. I believe that people respect him in general.

However, in a situation like that, he is clearly entering as an opponent, and the Ford Field crowd will go crazy for a home playoff game. I swear to you.

In return for Jared Goff, a first-round pick in 2022, a first-round pick in 2023, and a third-round pick in 2021, the Lions traded Stafford to the Rams in 2021.

With time, it seemed that both teams benefited from the move. Stafford would play a major role in the Rams’ victory in Super Bowl LVI during his first campaign. Goff has been essential to the Lions’ resurgence, as evidenced by the team’s back-to-back winning seasons and first-ever NFC North title.

Furthermore, the Lions eventually transformed the 2022 and 2023 first-round picks they acquired from the Rams into Jameson Williams, Joshua Paschal, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and Brodric Martin thanks to some cunning and draft-day trades made by general manager Brad Holmes. They also added Ifeatu Melifonwu with their 2021 third-round pick