Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions

Aaron Donald knew right after playoff loss to the Lions he was retiring

Aaron Donald knew right after the Rams playoff loss to the Lions in Detroit that he was retiring

Aaron Donald has been the best defensive player in the NFL over the last 10 years. So when he retired this offseason after playing just those 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, it caught much of the NFL world by surprise.

It did not, however, catch Rams head coach Sean McVay without some expectation it was coming. As McVay related to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Donald told him the day after the team’s playoff loss in Detroit to the Lions that he was done.

Or rather, “I’m full,” Donald told McVay as quoted by Breer.

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He had just one solo tackle and was not credited with a single QB hit on Jared Goff in Detroit’s wild card round win, the team’s first playoff victory in over 30 years.

Donald had pondered retirement one year earlier but elected to come back for one more ride. Just like Lions legend Barry Sanders, Donald leaves with his body relatively intact after just 10 spectacular NFL seasons.

Aaron Glenn strongly defends Kerby Joseph against ‘dirty player’ accusations

“Kerby plays football, and we’re going to continue to play football. And we don’t care what anybody else has to say.”

During the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s playoff win over the Los Angeles Rams, Lions safety Kerby Joseph made a play against Rams tight end Tyler Higbee that resulted in Higbee tearing up his knee. Joseph dove at Higbee’s legs as the tight end tried to haul in a high throw over the middle from Rams QB Matthew Stafford.

After the play, Stafford got after Joseph. He told the young safety, whom he never played with in Detroit, that it was a dirty hit. Here’s what Stafford said to Joseph, via Rams Wire,

“Hey! Hey! That’s a good hit. That’s a good hit,” Stafford said. “You’re dirty as (expletive), though. And you know it. You’re dirty as (expletive). It’s been on tape. I’ve seen it. It’s been on tape. You’re right. You’re right.”

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn wanted nothing to do with any assertions that Joseph’s hit was done with intent to injure.

“Absolutely not. This is football. This is football,” Glenn said agitatedly when asked if he thought the hit was dirty and if he needed to talk to Joseph about his style of play. “And I understand exactly what the NFL is doing when it comes to trying to – a player’s safety, and I totally agree with it. And the thing that he did against the Minnesota Vikings, he hit a guy high, and he got fined for it. So then he hits a guy low, and people are saying he’s a dirty player. Kerby plays football, and we’re going to continue to play football. And we don’t care what anybody else has to say.”

Glenn was just getting started.

“Listen, no one wants anybody to get hurt in this league. No one wants that. Hell, I was hurt in this League before, so I understand; I know how it feels. But I also understand I play football and when you play football, things like that happen. So, guys have got to continue to play no matter what. And it kind of bothers me that you hear that from people across the league because you know the risk you’re taking when you play this game and that’s just what it is.”

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Detroit Lions Podcast: ‘Playoff dreams are a reality’ episode

Watch the latest episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast celebrating a playoff victory and getting ready for more

The latest episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast is an unprecedented one. Never before have we been able to break down a Lions postseason win.

From Sean McVay’s massive coaching gaffes to the power of the Ford Field fans, we also put a bow on the team’s first playoff victory since the 1991 season. The Matthew Stafford/Jared Goff soap opera has reached its rightful conclusion, too.

Celebrating the accomplishment of beating the Rams but not being satisfied is a tough balance. It seems like Dan Campbell and the Lions are handling it well. The rematch against the Buccaneers in the Divisional Round won’t be easy and almost certainly won’t play out like the Lions’ 20-6 win in Tampa back in Week 6, and we discuss that potential.

The audio-only version of the show can be found here or via your favorite podcast provider. As a warning, there is some adult language in this episode, which was recorded on Wednesday night.

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Ford Field set a new noise volume record in Lions win over the Rams

In an unprecedented event for Ford Field, the Detroit Lions nearly blew the roof off of their downtown home. The Lions playoff win over the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night marked the loudest sound ever measured in Ford Field during a game.

Per MLive’s Kyle Meinke, the crowd volume registered with a decibel level of 133.6. That shattered the old Ford Field record by over five decibels. Meinke notes the volume during the final Jared Goff kneel-down in victory formation was well over the previous decibel level, which was established in Week 2 of this season against the Seahawks.

That decibel level is louder than the Metallica concert in Ford Field, for reference.

Studs & Duds for the Lions playoff victory over the Rams

The Detroit Lions Studs and Duds for their playoff victory over the Los Angeles Rams

The Detroit Lions have finally broken a decades-long playoff drought, securing their first playoff victory in over 30 years with a narrow 24-23 win against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Lions dominated the early stages of the game, establishing an early lead. However, the second half became a defensive battle where the Lions showcased their supremacy by making crucial stops. Despite the mainstream media framing the game as Matthew Stafford’s return to Detroit, it was, in fact, Jared Goff’s revenge against his former team that ultimately led Detroit to victory.

The entire Lions community is buzzing with excitement on this triumphant day, with well-deserved praise circulating. While there is much to celebrate, there are also areas that need attention as the Lions gear up for the next round, where they will face either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Philadelphia Eagles. Let’s delve into this week’s Studs and Duds from the Lions’ playoff victory against the Rams.

Quick takeaways from the Lions playoff win over the Rams

Here’s what stood out from watching the Lions beat the Rams in real time on Sunday night.

We witnessed history on Sunday night. The Detroit Lions won a home playoff game in Ford Field for the very first time, and just the franchise’s second postseason victory in the Super Bowl era, by beating the Los Angeles Rams, 24-23, in the wild card round.

It wasn’t an easy win, nor was it expected to be that way. It wouldn’t be Detroit if it was easy.

Here’s what stood out from watching the Lions beat the Rams in real time on Sunday night.

Lions inactive players vs. Rams: Sam LaPorta is active

Lions inactive players vs. Rams: Sam LaPorta is active for the wild card game

All eyes were on No. 87 in blue as the Detroit Lions warmed up in Ford Field for Sunday night’s wild card matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. The status of All-Pro rookie tight end Sam LaPorta and his wounded knee was the biggest pre-game question mark on the Lions’ health front.

After going through warmups in the stadium, LaPorta showed enough to make sure he was active for the game.

The Lions inactive players:

OLB Charles Harris

CB Steven Gilmore

WR Kalif Raymond (injured)

S Tracy Walker

OLB Julian Okwara

DT Brodric Martin

QB Hendon Hooker (emergency QB)

Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down the wild card game with Rams Wire

Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down the Lions wild card game with Rams Wire

The Detroit Lions are hosting the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wild card round on Sunday night. Despite the common links between the two franchises, they are relative strangers. Both teams have changed considerably since the last meeting in L.A. back in the 2021 season.

To get more info on what the 2023 playoff edition of the Rams looks like, I turned to my Rams Wire colleague, Cam DaSilva. I had questions, DaSilva had answers.

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Lions vs. Rams: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction

Lions vs. Rams: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction for the wild card playoff game in Ford Field

It’s been a long time since the morning coffee went down on a day with a Detroit Lions playoff game. Too long.

The question for this snowy Sunday is, will there be another Lions playoff game next weekend?

It’s not going to be easy, but these Lions have a strong chance to keep the postseason run rolling.

Why I think the Lions will win

The Jared Goff revenge factor is real. His divorce from Rams coach Sean McVay and Los Angeles is well-documented, but one facet that doesn’t get enough oxygen: how badly Goff’s teammates want to help the Lions QB prove himself and get his vengeance. Think “Jim Schwartz being carried off in victory in his first trip back to Ford Field” type of desire by the Lions to deliver their leader some validation.
The Rams don’t defend the middle of the field in the passing game all that well. Guess where the Lions passing game thrives. With top Rams safety Jordan Fuller banged up and questionable, it creates an even bigger advantage for All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown and TE Sam LaPorta, who I do think plays in this one.
Special teams are a massive advantage for Detroit, including kicker Michael Badgley. Yes, folks, the Rams special teams are indeed that kind of bad. I even pegged the Lions defense and special teams to get the first score of the game as this week’s best bet. Dave Fipp’s creativity with fakes factors in here, too.
The Lions run defense against opposing RBs is fantastic. Even in Week 18, where the Detroit defense’s tackling was awful, they still did a decent job in limiting the ground game. Rams RB Kyren Williams is a good one, a worthy Pro Bowler. The Lions LBs and safeties have been very good all season in run defense, too. This is one area where the Lions’ EDGEs have a nice advantage against the Rams’ OTs and TEs, where only RT Rob Havenstein is even league-average at run blocking. Hutchinson has a big advantage in the pass rush against Havenstein, who doesn’t move well laterally, too.
For all the hullabaloo about Matthew Stafford returning to Detroit for a playoff game, Stafford’s own history in playoff games is a mixed bag. His career INT rate and sack rate are higher in the playoffs than the regular season. That’s true for most QBs; playoff games mean facing better opponents. But we’ve all seen Stafford have some bonehead plays and inexplicable misses in big games. There’s more than a little pressure on him to perform big in his return to Detroit, too.
The Rams won just one game against another team in the playoffs until last week, when they beat a 49ers team resting key offensive players. The first win over a playoff team came in Week 13 against a Cleveland Browns team starting its 4th-string QB, their No. 4 and No. 5 OTs, and no Myles Garrett. The Rams are good, but they’re far from battle-tested in 2023.

What worries me about the Rams

The DT duo of Aaron Donald and Kobie Turner is the best in the league in 2023. Donald didn’t have his best year but is still the preeminent interior pass rusher in the NFL. Turner quietly but emphatically outplayed the more celebrated Jalen Carter amongst rookie DTs, especially after the first month of the season. Even with the Lions strong OL, they’re a problem.
The Rams have a dangerous duo at WR in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. The Lions would struggle to cover either one of those on their own, but together they create a huge advantage for the Rams offense. If the Lions safeties aren’t sharp in coverage rotations and assignments, it’s not going to be pretty. The Detroit outside CBs simply cannot handle the combination on their own, and the Rams do a good job with formations and motion to set up favorable matchups, too.
This is more about the Lions, but I have some concern that OC Ben Johnson will do what he did in Dallas — trying to show how smart and creative he is instead of actually attacking the defense. Like Dallas, the Rams defense is predicated on speed, penetration and flow. They’re vulnerable to offenses that can punch them in the mouth. Johnson only threw a few jabs in Dallas and it wasn’t nearly enough. Has he learned his lesson?

Final score prediction

The Lions have more paths to victory than the visiting Rams, and I think they find just enough trails to win. Lions 30, Rams 27.