Stafford-Goff in Emotional NFC Wild Card Showdown
We've Got A Couple Rams vs Lions Picks For Sunday's Primetime Game
The Los Angeles Rams already won their trade with the Detroit Lions, who sent Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles for Jared Goff.
The Rams won a Super Bowl under Stafford a few years back. At the time, the Rams believed they were a quarterback away from winning the Super Bowl. They got rid of Goff, and Stafford helped them win a Super Bowl.
However, Goff is starting to do big things with the Lions. He had a statistically better season than Stafford this year and took the Lions into the postseason in 2016.
This matchup between the Rams and Lions has a lot of headlines, and many people wonder how each quarterback will perform against their former team.
With the Lions at home, Detroit is a 3-point favorite at -118, with the total currently sitting at 51.5. Is Los Angeles a good underdog spot at +140, or can the Lions escape with a home win?
Our Rams vs Lions picks are below.
Los Angeles Rams vs Detroit Lions 
Day/Time:
Location: Ford Field
Stream: NBC
Rams vs Lions Trends
The Rams finished the regular season with a 10-6-1 record against the spread. They also went 5-4 on the road and picked up one more Over than Under in the NFL season.
On the other hand, the Detroit Lions went 6-2 at home and went 12-5 against the spread this season. Detroit’s offense did most of the production, helping the Over hit in 11 of 17 games this year.
The Rams have defeated the Lions in back-to-back games. But those last two games were in 2018 and 2021. A lot has changed since then. In those two games, the Rams were double-digit favorites. Now, the Lions are the favorites in 2024.
The Quarterback Chaos
Current Lions quarterback Jared Goff spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams as their starting quarterback.
As the game approaches, Rams’ head coach, Sean McVay reflected on Goff’s time with the Rams and admitted Goff deserved better.
But despite the poor handling of the decision, Goff acknowledged that he didn’t have any extra motivation on Sunday when competing against the Rams.
Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford understands he’s the bad guy coming to town. Stafford spent countless years with the Lions and was a fan favorite during his time. But Detroit eventually moved on from Stafford and sent him to the Rams. His return to Detroit will be exciting, knowing what’s at stake in this NFC Wild Card Game.
Sam LaPorta’s Optimistic He’ll Play
After going through an on-field workout on Thursday, Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is optimistic that he’ll be able to play against the Rams on Sunday.
However, LaPorta still didn’t practice on Thursday and still has many hurdles to climb before his name will be written in the starting lineup.
If LaPorta ends up playing, he might have a large brace on his left knee. Wearing this brace would help avoid hyperextending the knee for a second time.
The NFL injury happened last week against the Vikings after his cleat struck in Ford Field’s turf. He doesn’t want that to happen again.
You Don’t Have To Pick A Winner!
It’s going to be cold in Detroit. But have no fear! The Lions play in Ford Field, which is a domed stadium.
The Lions have scored over 27 points per game, while the Rams have added nearly 24 points per game. Both offenses, led by their quarterbacks, are playing at high levels right now.
Goff threw for nearly 4,600 yards in the regular NFL season. He also helped Amon-Ra St. Brown earn over 1,500 yards receiving. St. Brown added 119 catches and ten touchdowns and had one of the best seasons for a wide receiver this season.
On the other hand, Stafford helped Puka Nacua break many rookie receiving records, including receptions and yards. Nacua added 105 receptions and 1,486 yards with six touchdowns this season. Stafford might have more offensive weapons when you include Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams.
Williams earned 228 carries for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns. He became the go-to guy in the ground game early, which allowed the Rams to let go of Cam Akers in the first half of the season.
While Williams was a workhorse, the Lions had nearly two running backs with 1,000 yards rushing. David Montgomery was the lead back and earned 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns. Then there was Jahmyr Gibbs, the rookie running back, who added ten rushing touchdowns on 182 carries. Gibbs earned 945 yards on the ground and was a more significant threat in the air this season. Gibbs typically puts together bigger gains, while Montgomery was more of a short-yardage back. However, both played very well this season.
On the other hand, the Rams and Lions both have weak secondaries. The missed tackles also piled up for both NFL teams this season. Up front, the Rams and Lions are better, but Stafford and Goff should have field days throwing the football against these defenses.
We expect the Lions to escape the Rams at home. The Rams are in the NFL Wild Card standings, but the Lions aren’t in any Wild Card standings. That’s because Detroit won the NFC North and has played more consistently than most teams in the NFL this year.
Still, the Over is more appealing. We suggest adding the Over 51.5 for your NFL picks and parlays. That’s our best bet and our favorite of the Rams vs Lions picks.
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