Don’t discount teams on the brink

Getting a win over the Detroit Lions this weekend will be easier said than done for the Los Angeles Rams.

The Dallas Cowboys learned this tough lesson last week when they saw the Lions on the brink of playoff elimination and suffered a 44-30 defeat. The Detroit offense came alive and stayed ahead of Dallas the entire game. Jared Goff threw for over 300 yards with a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for four rushing touchdowns. The loss crippled the Cowboys’ chance to make the playoffs, which is now belong 10% odds.

The Lions—who currently have a 50% likelihood in the postseason cutoff—have everything to lose when they take the field Sunday in Los Angeles. A win pushes them to 72% odds, and a loss would tumble them to just 40%. They’ve had three extra days to prepare since their last game was on a Thursday, and we can expect Dan Campbell to be as aggressive as ever.

Los Angeles, on the other hand, has everything to gain. They can clinch a playoff berth with a victory ahead of next week’s Thursday Night Football showdown against the Seattle Seahawks. The NFC West race will still remain highly competitive with the Rams, Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers all having better than a 90% chance to make the playoffs.

Simply put, this weekend’s matchup between the Lions and Rams are one of the most important of the NFL season in terms of leverage.

It’s a battle of two very strong forces. Win and you’re in for the Rams. The Lions cannot afford to lose. Which will win out?

Do Lions have the Rams number?

Let’s set aside the Rams’ win over the Lions during Stafford’s first season with the Rams in 2021. This wasn’t the Detroit team that we know today, and they used LA’s early first round pick after a rough 2022 season to round out their much-improved roster.

Since then, Stafford remains winless over his former team. The Rams have lost two-straight matchups to Detroit.

We all remember the emotional wildcard game in Detroit where the Lions knocked the Rams out of the playoffs. It was Stafford’s first playoff game at Ford Field, and Jared Goff simply outplayed him.

The Rams hosted Detroit in the 2024 season opener. The Lions again won in a closely fought game that extended into overtime. Aidan Hutchinson took over this matchup and LA had very little going offensively.

Are two games enough to say a team has another’s number? Probably not. But the Lions certainly have rose to the occasion. These contests are littered with storylines and packed with emotions for fans. It will likely be supercharged again on Sunday.