The Los Angeles Rams have been waiting almost eight months to get back on the field after losing in the wild-card round in January. And thanks to the schedule-makers, their first opponent is the team that knocked them out of the playoffs: the Detroit Lions.
The Rams are in Detroit today for a rematch with the Lions, a prime-time matchup between two high-powered offenses in the NFC. The Rams have all the talent needed to make a deep playoff run, and with a coach as brilliant as Sean McVay, the sky’s the limit. But with injuries and suspensions already taking a toll, the Rams have their work cut out for them in the opener against the Lions.
Add in a hostile environment at Ford Field and it’s sure to be a battle for Los Angeles in Week 1. The question is whether the Rams have the defense to slow down Detroit’s offense, and whether the offense can be balanced enough against a stout Lions run defense that will try to make L.A. one-dimensional.
As they did in January, the Rams should keep this game close. Maybe not one-point close, but it’s going to be a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter, potentially giving the team with the ball last the victory.
However, Detroit’s secondary is much better than it was last season and the offense might just have too much firepower for a Rams secondary that will be missing Darious Williams. They had no answer for Amon-Ra St. Brown last meeting, Jameson Williams is even better now in Year 2, Sam LaPorta is still a problem and Jahmyr Gibbs is a weapon out of the backfield.
With early-season questions about this young Rams defense and some last-minute shuffling on the offensive line, it could be a little bit of a slow start for Los Angeles. The Rams will keep it close, but Detroit will win by a narrow margin once again.
Final score prediction: Lions 27, Rams 24