Get the latest odds and expert picks for the Sunday Night Football showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions. Don't miss out on the action!
The first Sunday Night Football game of the 2024 season will pit the Detroit Lions against the Los Angeles Rams. These teams had some of their greatest success in recent history after they swapped quarterbacks as former Lion Matthew Stafford led the Rams to a win in Super Bowl LVI while former Ram Jared Goff led the Lions to their best season in more than three decades in 2023. These teams met in the Wild Card Round last year with the Lions edging the Rams 24-23 to win their first playoff game since 1991.
Week 1 Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Rams +4
Detroit Lions -4
Total 52
Sunday night’s game has the highest total on the board as the oddsmakers expect this to be a high scoring affair. Detroit has ranked in the top five in total offense and scoring offense for each of the last two seasons while Sean McVay is one of the best offensive minds in the league. The bulk of the action has been on the Lions, moving this line a full point from where we saw it in May.
The first Sunday Night Football game of the 2024 season will pit the Detroit Lions against the Los Angeles Rams. These teams had some of their greatest success in recent history after they swapped quarterbacks as former Lion Matthew Stafford led the Rams to a win in Super Bowl LVI while former Ram Jared Goff led the Lions to their best season in more than three decades in 2023. These teams met in the Wild Card Round last year with the Lions edging the Rams 24-23 to win their first playoff game since 1991.
Week 1 Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Rams +4
Detroit Lions -4
Total 52
Sunday night’s game has the highest total on the board as the oddsmakers expect this to be a high scoring affair. Detroit has ranked in the top five in total offense and scoring offense for each of the last two seasons while Sean McVay is one of the best offensive minds in the league. The bulk of the action has been on the Lions, moving this line a full point from where we saw it in May.
Los Angeles Rams Overview
Matthew Stafford is entering his 16th season in the NFL. If this was 10 years ago, we would be asking when he would be hanging it up, but quarterbacks can now be effective for a longer time given how the game has changed. Stafford is poised to become the 10th quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 60,000 career passing yards, and he has two excellent receivers in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Kyren Williams had a superb second season in the NFL, and Blake Corum adds depth to this offense some real weapons at the skill positions.
There are some real concerns about this defense with the retirement of three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald in the offseason. Donald was unquestionably the best defensive lineman of the last two decades as an eight-time First Team All-Pro, so it will be impossible to fill his shoes. Rookie Jared Verse could be a disruptor as a pass rusher, and the secondary is decent, but the front seven leaves a lot to be desired.
Detroit Lions Overview
Some experts believed that Jared Goff was simply a throw-in in the trade that brought Matt Stafford to Los Angeles, but Goff has rejuvenated his career in the Motor City. The front office has been able to provide him with an excellent offensive line and a great receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown, making this offense an elite unit.
Detroit might have the best ground game in the NFL. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs nearly became just the eighth duo to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in the same season in 2023. Montgomery averaged 4.6 YPC and Gibbs averaged 5.2 YPC as the two backs combined to run for 23 touchdowns. The offensive line was arguably even better at pass blocking too as Goff was only sacked 30 times in 642 dropbacks despite not being particularly mobile.
The Achilles’ heel for the Lions has been their defense. They had a bottom five defense in the league from 2020 to 2022 and improved in 2023, but they were still firmly ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in both points and yards. This side of the ball could be much better if Marcus Davenport can rediscover the form we saw in New Orleans three years ago, but the addition of veterans Carlton Davis III and D.J. Reader should give Aidan Hutchinson some needed help.
Sunday Night Football Prediction
Many are jumping on the Detroit bandwagon and calling for the Lions to win the Super Bowl. I’ll avoid that hype train for now, but they should be able to cover the number against the Rams in Week 1. Gibbs and Montgomery should have plenty of success against a front seven that has to answer a lot of questions, keeping the ball out of Stafford’s hands. That means it will once again be a bitter homecoming for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Final Score: Detroit 31, Los Angeles 20
Matthew Stafford is entering his 16th season in the NFL. If this was 10 years ago, we would be asking when he would be hanging it up, but quarterbacks can now be effective for a longer time given how the game has changed. Stafford is poised to become the 10th quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 60,000 career passing yards, and he has two excellent receivers in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Kyren Williams had a superb second season in the NFL, and Blake Corum adds depth to this offense some real weapons at the skill positions.
There are some real concerns about this defense with the retirement of three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald in the offseason. Donald was unquestionably the best defensive lineman of the last two decades as an eight-time First Team All-Pro, so it will be impossible to fill his shoes. Rookie Jared Verse could be a disruptor as a pass rusher, and the secondary is decent, but the front seven leaves a lot to be desired.
Detroit Lions Overview
Some experts believed that Jared Goff was simply a throw-in in the trade that brought Matt Stafford to Los Angeles, but Goff has rejuvenated his career in the Motor City. The front office has been able to provide him with an excellent offensive line and a great receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown, making this offense an elite unit.
Detroit might have the best ground game in the NFL. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs nearly became just the eighth duo to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in the same season in 2023. Montgomery averaged 4.6 YPC and Gibbs averaged 5.2 YPC as the two backs combined to run for 23 touchdowns. The offensive line was arguably even better at pass blocking too as Goff was only sacked 30 times in 642 dropbacks despite not being particularly mobile.
The Achilles’ heel for the Lions has been their defense. They had a bottom five defense in the league from 2020 to 2022 and improved in 2023, but they were still firmly ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in both points and yards. This side of the ball could be much better if Marcus Davenport can rediscover the form we saw in New Orleans three years ago, but the addition of veterans Carlton Davis III and D.J. Reader should give Aidan Hutchinson some needed help.
Sunday Night Football Prediction
Many are jumping on the Detroit bandwagon and calling for the Lions to win the Super Bowl. I’ll avoid that hype train for now, but they should be able to cover the number against the Rams in Week 1. Gibbs and Montgomery should have plenty of success against a front seven that has to answer a lot of questions, keeping the ball out of Stafford’s hands. That means it will once again be a bitter homecoming for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Final Score: Detroit 31, Los Angeles 20
