CHICAGO -- Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford shared a pregame embrace with his family before kickoff and led his team to victory in overtime as the Rams won the franchise's latest divisional playoff matchup on the snowy field of Soldier Field, Chicago.
The Rams' social media team shared a video of the greeting just before the game began. Stafford stood on the sideline at Soldier Field to meet his wife and daughters.
The quarterback finished the cold contest with 20 completions on 42 passing attempts. He threw for 258 total yards against the Chicago defense.
Stafford did not record any touchdowns or interceptions during the four quarters and overtime. The Bears defense pressured Stafford and recorded four sacks throughout the afternoon.
Along with the sacks, the quarterback also finished the playoff matchup with a passer rating of 67.4 during the snowy and freezing divisional round game.
Although Stafford’s family wore heavy jackets and neon yellow beanies to stay warm on the field, the Rams secured an overtime victory and advanced to the conference championship.
"Best pregame tradition," the Rams captioned.
Matthew Stafford's "Best Pregame Tradition💙"@RamsNFL
Rams beat Bears to reach NFC championship game pic.twitter.com/MVyAUsjStp
— MOHAMMAD ASIF ANSARI (@WriterMohammad) January 19, 2026
Despite the difficult playing conditions and the pressure from the opposing defense, Stafford avoided turnovers.
Stafford has performed this sideline tradition for more than a decade, starting the ritual when the quarterback played for the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Along with Sawyer and Chandler, the quarterback has daughters named Hunter and Tyler.
Stafford reached a significant career milestone on Nov. 30, passing Matt Ryan for the eighth most career passing yards in the history of the league. The quarterback now has a total of 64,516 career passing yards.
Stafford was also the fastest player to reach 40,000 career passing yards, which he completed in only 147 games.
The tradition represents the resilience of the Stafford family after a medical crisis, with Kelly Stafford being diagnosed with a vestibular schwannoma in 2019.
She underwent a brain surgery that lasted 12 hours to treat the condition, navigating the recovery process during the final years the player spent in Detroit.
Stafford discussed his role as a father during a 2021 interview with the team website.
"It's the greatest part of my life, to be honest with you; it changed it in so many ways," Stafford said. "You'll never know what that feeling is until you have kids, and I've been lucky enough to have that four times. Four beautiful little daughters. I'm lucky in that regard."
As observers noted that Stafford transitions into an elite competitor after greeting his family, Stafford was mic’d up during a wild-card game on January 14, 2024.
"Give me a kiss. Give me a kiss. All right, baby, love you, let's go, baby."
The Stafford daughters are constant fixtures on the sidelines at the stadium. Twins Sawyer and Chandler are currently eight years old.
Hunter is seven years old, and Tyler is five years old, with the girls often wearing matching outfits while supporting their father at home games.
They wore custom shirts during a playoff game on Jan. 10. These shirts displayed the career achievements of their father on the fabric.
His wife, Kelly, discussed on her podcast “The Morning After” that Stafford does not wear his wedding ring during games to avoid potential injuries.
She noted that her husband once lost a traditional band, only for it to be found in her purse. This safety routine is a permanent part of his gameday preparation.
The Rams will face the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, with Seattle hosting the matchup next week because they are the top seed in the conference.
This game will determine which team represents the NFC in the Super Bowl. Stafford previously led the Rams to a 23-20 victory in Super Bowl LVI.
While the Rams earned their spot in the next round by winning the final divisional game of the postseason, fans expect to see the family on the sidelines in Seattle.