The Rams are headed to Detroit for their playoff opener, taking on the Lions at Ford Field as part of Super Wildcard Weekend. Coverage on Sunday begins at 5 p.m. pacific time on NBC, Peacock and Universo.
Montgomery was Detroit’s leading rusher with 40 yards and 1 touchdown on 10 carries, but Gibbs wasn’t far behind with 30 yards and 1 touchdown on 13 carries.
St. Brown led all Lions receivers with 7 catches for 144 yards and 1 touchdown.
LB Jack Campbell paced Detroit’s defense with 12 total tackles and 1 sack, DE Aidan Hutchinson added 2 sacks.
On special teams, K Michael Badgley made his lone field goal attempt (39 yards) and 2 of his 3 extra point attempts, while P Jake Fox averaged 53.6 yards per punt across 5 punts.
You’re probably well-versed in the obvious ones by the time you’re reading this, so we’ll focus on ones specific to the product on the field.
The potential absence of LaPorta looms largest when it comes to the Rams defense’s preparation for this game. Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters there’s an “outside chance” LaPorta could play on Sunday, and his numbers – 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns – show just how big of a loss he would be for Detroit should he be unavailable.
LaPorta or no LaPorta, Detroit still features plenty of offensive weapons for Los Angeles to prepare for, between Gibbs’ abilities as a runner and pass-catche, St. Brown’s route running and yards-after-catch ability, Montgomery’s physical running style and WR Jameson Williams’ speed.
Stopping the run will be priority No. 1, but Goff has made plays in the passing game, too. Either way, it will be an offense quite different from what they’ve prepared for this season.
As for the Rams’ offense, they’ll be preparing for a Lions defense that got a big boost recently with the return of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and defensive tackle Alim McNeill from injury.
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