In the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions will meet up in the wildcard round. The Los Angeles Rams are 10-6 on the season, and have won four straight games. The Rams moved to the 6th seed with their strong play late in the season. Los Angeles finished second in the NFC West, and beat the 49ers in Week 18.
For the Detroit Lions, they won the NFC North. The Lions ran away with the division, finishing with a 12-5 record. The Lions beat Minnesota twice in the final three weeks of the season to win the division by three games.
The Detroit Lions are favorites in this game. Detroit is listed at -3, and the total for this affair is set at 51.5 points.
Rams Ready for Road Challenge
The Los Angeles Rams will play on the road, a place where they went 5-4 during the regular season. The Rams won 8 of 12 against NFC teams, and on the season outscored their opponents by 27 points.
Former Lions signal caller Matthew Stafford has stayed relatively healthy this season. The quarterback played in 15 of the 17 games and wrapped up with 3,965 yards, and 24 touchdowns. Cooper Kupp was terrific again, with737 yards and five touchdowns, but the big story was Puka Nacua. Nacua broke the rookie record, as he fell 14 yards shy of 1,500.
Kyren Williams was outstanding as the lead running back for Los Angeles. Williams played in 12 games this season, and finished with nearly 1,150 yards. Williams rushed for 12 touchdowns in those 12 games. Williams had 228 carries on the season, while the next highest was Royce Freeman, with 77.
Goff and the Lions
For Detroit, they are 6-2 at home this season. The Lions are also 8-4 against the NFC. Detroit scored 461 points on the season, only behind the Cowboys and 49ers in the NFC. Detroit allowed teams to score 395 points in 17 games.
The Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who started his career with the Rams has been terrific this season as well. Especially at home. The signal caller has 12 touchdown passes in his last five home games. On the season, Goff threw 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Amon-Ra St. Brown was his top target all season. The receiver finished the regular season with 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. The Lions could be without their second biggest target in Sam LaPorta. The tight end was hurt in the win over Minnesota, and is questionable with the knee injury.
Rams Upset Lions in Detroit
Sean McVay and Dan Campbell are both going to have their teams ready and prepared for this big game. This is a huge game for both squads, obviously, but in different ways. The Lions want to prove that they belong, and they are for real. The Rams want to show the rest of the league they are not going anywhere. Last year was a tough year for the Rams with injuries, but they are back to being a contending team in the NFL.
We like the experience of the Rams here though. Sure the Lions are at home, and have some really talented players on both sides of the ball, the Rams have been there and done that. While it is a new roster for the most part, the Rams are going to be prepared to win this game more effectively. Take the Rams +3 over the Lions on Sunday! Enjoy the game and best of luck!
