Los Angeles Rams' Robert Quinn raises his fist in protest during the national anthem on October 2, 2016. The Lions cannot count out Quinn who is a top-flight pass rusher if he's on the field. Photo by Art Foxall/UPI |
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KICKOFF: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Ford Field, Detroit. TV: FOX, Justin Kutcher, Charles Davis, Peter Schrager.
SERIES HISTORY: 84th regular-season meeting. Rams lead series, 43-39-1. The Rams beat the Lions 21-14 last December, when the Rams were still in St. Louis. One great finish in the series happened in the 2012 season opener, when Matthew Stafford threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Smith with 10 seconds left to give the Lions a 27-23 victory.
GAMEDATE: 10/16/16
KEYS TO THE GAME:
Surprising second-year pass rusher Kerry Hyder is fifth in the NFL with 5.0 sacks this season, but the Lions have missed defensive end Ziggy Ansah as a constant force up front. Rams RB Todd Gurley's offensive line has been leaky, and Gurley has been hit behind the line of scrimmage regularly. Detroit's run defense hit this week with NT Haloti Ngata (shoulder) out. And in last season's meeting, Gurley averaged 8.8 yards per carry, gaining 140 yards with two touchdowns on 16 carries against the Lions.
If the Lions can lasso Gurley, the game falls to the throwing arm of Case Keenum. He's been sacked 12 times but only two quarterbacks -- Matt Ryan (Falcons) and Philip Rivers (Chargers) -- have more 25-plus-yard pass plays than Keenum's 13. The Lions are vulnerable when pressure doesn't heat up the pocket.
The Lions are limited offensively as they scrape to generate a running game. Theo Riddick is averaging 4.33 yards on first-down rushing attempts but he's also been hit in the backfield on six of those 27 carries. The limited production leads to QB Matt Stafford putting the ball in the air on early downs. The Rams mug outside receivers in press coverage but with size-speed mismatch Marvin Jones (27 receptions, 19.2 yards per catch), Stafford is not shy about throwing 50-50 balls when his front wall collapses.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
--Lions LT Taylor Decker vs. Rams DE Robert Quinn. With so much attention on Donald, the Lions can't forget about Rams' defensive ends Quinn and William Hayes. Both players missed last week's loss to the Buffalo Bills with injuries, but Quinn in particular is a top-flight pass rusher if he's on the field. Decker, a rookie, has allowed four sacks so far this season and will likely get plenty of one-on-one work Sunday.
--Rams WR Tavon Austin vs. Lions CB Darius Slay. Slay was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after he forced two turnovers in the final three minutes of the Lions win over the Eagles. This week, Slay has a tough matchup in the electric Tavon Austin. With Case Keenum at quarterback, the Rams aren't great at pushing the ball downfield, but they do try to get the ball in Austin's hands through bubble screens, handoffs and every other way imaginable.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT:
Rams CB E.J. Gaines. With Trumaine Johnson likely out this week, E.J. Gaines will slide over into the lead director chair and draw coverage responsibilities of the Lions top receiver. Gaines missed the first three games of this year - and all of last year - with foot and leg injuries but has played well in his first two games back. But that was opposite the Rams best CB in Johnson. Now Gaines moves up in the pecking order.
FAST FACTS:
Riddick leads NFL running backs with 10 TD receptions since 2014. ... Ansah has 6.5 sacks in his past six home games. ... Rams LB Mark Barron has at least eight tackles in four consecutive games and 11 tackles in last year's meeting.
PREDICTION:
The Rams are capable of devouring one-dimensional offenses even if their vaunted defensive line is not 100 percent healthy. The Lions must generate a ground game or Matt Stafford will pay the price.
OUR PICK: Rams, 22-16.
--Jeff Reynolds
