4 Bold Predictions for Los Angeles Rams vs Detroit Lions, Including Blake Corum

The Los Angeles Rams’ 2023 season ended with a heartbreaking 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFC’s Wild Card Round. Months later, there’s an opportunity for revenge with a fantastic Rams vs Lions matchup on NBC’s Sunday Night Football to kick off Week 1.

Quite a few things have changed since these teams last met. Los Angeles poached offensive lineman Jonah Jackson from Detroit, but the Lions upgraded a secondary that allowed 367 yards to Matthew Stafford. There will be even more attention on how Los Angeles performs defensively following the losses of linebacker Ernest Jones and defensive lineman Aaron Donald.

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Let’s dive into our Rams vs Lions predictions for Sunday Night Football in Week 1.

Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra St. Brown combine for 200 yards, 2 TDs

Many were rightfully concerned about the Rams defense without Donald on the field. He’s one of the best NFL players ever who just last season commanded a 63 percent double-team rate ( ESPN ). That presence is gone, throwing this young Rams pass rush into a much more difficult situation. Equally concerning is the team’s linebacker corps now that Jones is playing for the Tennessee Titans.

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Keep in mind that Los Angeles allowed the sixth-most receiving yards ( 987 ) and the second-most touchdowns (8) to tight ends last season. We also have to give the schematic advantage to Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who will find all kinds of ways to get Amon-Ra St. Brown the football against a below-average Rams secondary. In a projected shootout, that leads to St. Brown (120-plus yards) and LaPorta (80-plus yards, 1 TD) having a monster day,

Blake Corum scores his first NFL touchdown

With Kyren Williams serving as the Rams punt returner, it’s evident Los Angeles has some big plans for Blake Corum in 2024. The rookie does have quite a few similarities to Williams, which is a big part of the reason why the Rams coaching staff saw him as the perfect back in a 1-2 punch.

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Finding the end zone on the ground against Detroit isn’t easy. In 2023, the Lions defense allowed just 9 rushing touchdowns in 17 games (10th in NFL). However, the thinnest spot on the Lions roster is arguably the defensive line and Los Angeles specifically upgraded on the interior line for matchups like this. With double-digit touches, we’re predicting Corum finds the end zone for the first time in the second quarter.

Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford each eclipse 300 yards

In the last duel between the Rams vs Lions, Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford each finished with a 120-plus QB rating and combined for 644 passing yards with 3 touchdowns. We see no reason to believe this Sunday Night Football matchup will go differently.

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Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeil are dangerous pass-rushing threats on the Lions defensive line, but this team lacks a true No. 2 edge rusher. That means more clean pockets for Stafford, who posted a 99.8 QB rating ( PFF ) from a clean pocket last season. Furthermore, the combo of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp in Sean McVay’s offense will cause too many problems for the Lions to solve.

As for Goff, he posted a 107.9 QB rating in 7 home games last season and had the second-highest QB rating from a clean pocket (122) in 2023. Against a bottom-10 Rams defense, Goff should cook against his former team.

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Detroit Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams in a shootout

This should be the highest-scoring game in Week 1. Two of the best offenses in the NFL going head to head on a national stage, with a chance to see two of the game’s best offensive minds going blow for blow. It’s everything you could ask for to kick off the 2024 NFL season.

Unfortunately, this is just bad timing for Los Angeles. The defense is the team’s Achilles heel and this unit will certainly be at its worst early in the season. If there was a Rams vs Lions rematch, we’d feel better about Los Angeles pulling it out later in the year. On NBC in Detroit with the Lions looking to prove they are the best NFL team in 2024, though, that sets up for a Rams’ loss.

More must-reads:

• Los Angeles Rams News: Cooper Kupp Reveals New Position He’ll Play in Week 1
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