SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Carson Wentz did his job filling in for Matthew Stafford, and now Stafford gets the chance for a highly anticipated playoff matchup against his former team.
Wentz threw one of his two touchdown passes to record-setting Puka Nacua and ran for a score to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 21-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in a game filled with backups.
Los Angeles (10-7) clinched the sixth seed in the NFC and a trip to Detroit in the wild-card round next weekend, a game that will feature Stafford in the first playoff game hosted by Detroit in 30 years against the Lions team that drafted him first overall in 2009.
Stafford was dealt to Los Angeles before the 2021 season in a deal that sent Rams’ former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff to the Lions. The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl that season, while the Lions have turned into a winning team thanks in part to Goff.
“Exciting for this team just to get back to where we are right now, to be honest with you,” Stafford said. “The opportunity happens to be in Detroit, which is fun for me on a personal level.”
Wentz helped make it happen when he scored on a 12-yard run with 4:56 to play and then converted a 2-point conversion pass to Tutu Atwell to put the Rams ahead 21-20.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Wentz, who signed with the Rams in November and had handed the ball off on his only three snaps before Sunday. “It’s been over a year for me since I got game action and it’s been a weird obviously year and season for me. But I had a lot of fun out there. It was fun to get the win.”
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Carson Wentz (11) celebrates after scoring against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Credit: AP/Jed Jacobsohn
The game had little meaning with the 49ers (12-5) having clinched the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye and the Rams clinching a playoff spot last week.
That led both…
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