How Big Exactly is This Week’s Rams-Lions Contest? Analysing the NFL’s Newest Rivalry.

Week 15 of the NFL regular season will see two newfound rivals go head-to-head for the third time in three seasons, as the Detroit Lions travel to Inglewood to play the Los Angeles Rams in a contest that could play a significant role in shaping the NFC playoff picture. But recent history suggests this may not necessarily be just a playoff-level contest. 

(Image Credit to AP Photo/ David Dermer)

When one thinks of big-time NFL rivalries, they might think of the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, or even the longtime bout between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. 

But a recently emerging rivalry between the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions? Safe to say it’s flown under many people’s radars. 

Following the end of the 2020 season, the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams would execute an incredibly significant trade, one that is arguably seen as the prelude for this newfound rivalry. The trade would see the Detroit Lions send franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for then-Rams quarterback Jared Goff, two first-round draft picks and a third-round draft pick. 

For Los Angeles, this would be an attempt to replicate what Tampa Bay just did one month earlier: win the Super Bowl in the same season that saw the legendary Tom Brady leave New England for greener (and warmer) pastures. Outside of the quarterback position, the Rams had all the key pieces they needed, including wide receiver Cooper Kupp and veteran defensive end Aaron Donald. 

For Detroit, it was an opportunity for Jared Goff to reset his career and help to turn around a long-struggling franchise entering its first season under head coach Dan Campbell. 

The 2021 season would go according to plan for Los Angeles. Despite entering December with a 7-4 record following a 36-28 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Rams would win five of their last six games to win the NFC West and enter the playoffs as the NFC’s four seed. After close wins against Tampa Bay and San Francisco in the divisional and championship rounds, which followed a dominant win against Arizona in the Wild Card Round, the Rams would win the Super Bowl on home turf with a 24-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. 

For Detroit, 2021 was another tough season. But despite a 0-10-1 start, the Lions did play the Rams hard in what was a 28-19 loss in Week 7 of the 2021 season. Jared Goff threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Kalif Raymond was among the Lions’ top performers, logging 115 receiving yards. The Lions were only down by a point and halftime and they would hold a 19-17 lead into the fourth quarter before an 11-0 scoring run for the Rams gave Los Angeles the win. 

While both teams were not at the height of their powers at this stage, it was nonetheless a worthy first chapter of this rivalry. 

The 2023 NFC Wild Card round would see the Detroit Lions, who were coming off of a 12-5 regular season and their first NFC North division title, play host to the 10-7 Los Angeles Rams, who were back in the playoffs after an injury-filled 2022 season derailed any hopes of a Super Bowl defence. 

Detroit would find themselves ahead 21-10 midway through the second quarter, before a Tutu Atwell 38-yard receiving touchdown brought Los Angeles within a score at halftime. The Lions would extend their lead to seven midway through the third, but Los Angeles would find themselves down a point in the fourth quarter before Detroit closed the game out with a late drive to gain the necessary yardage to end the game on kneel-downs. 

The first week of action in the 2024 NFL regular season saw the Detroit Lions once again play host to the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch of the previous postseason’s Wild Card Round. 

Despite the Lions going up fourteen points midway through the third quarter, the Los Angeles Rams were successful in rallying and eventually forcing the game into overtime on the heels of a 17-3 scoring run. However, overtime would see the Lions win on a David Montgomery rushing touchdown. 

Heading into this Sunday’s affair, the 10-3 Los Angeles Rams hold a slight advantage on the Seattle Seahawks for the lead in the NFC West; they also are the top seed in the NFC with a half-game lead on the 9-3-1 Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions sit at 8-5 and are just a game back of the final playoff spot in the NFC, which is held by the 9-4 Chicago Bears. 

And considering where things could end up at the end of the regular season in one month’s time, this matchup could be pivotal in shaping the NFC playoff picture. 

While the Lions are on pace for a winner-take-all Week 18 game against Chicago, they will need to keep winning in order to ensure that game becomes a reality. Between this Rams game and that Week 18 contest, Detroit will host the Pittsburgh Steelers before travelling to play Minnesota on Christmas Day. 

While the Vikings and Steelers games are winnable, even going 2-1 over that stretch gives Chicago, who plays Cleveland, Green Bay, and San Francisco before that Week 18 game against Detroit, enough leeway to ensure that they will have something to play for come Week 18. 

As for the Los Angeles Rams, regardless of how this week’s game goes, they will have to get through a four-day turnaround before a massive Thursday Night Football game in Seattle. Given that the Rams won the first matchup with the Seahawks, this is a game that could all but decide the direction of the NFC West. 

On a more positive note, Los Angeles can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Detroit. By doing so, they can also extend their lead for the NFC’s one seed should the NFC North-leading Packers lose to Denver and if Philadelphia loses to Las Vegas. 

Considering all of the above - the recent history, the trades, and the playoff implications - this fourth instalment in the rivalry between the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions should carry massive implications. 

For Detroit, it’s a chance to truly re-establish themselves as playoff contenders in a wacky-and-wild NFC that could end up moulding itself in Detroit’s favour. For Los Angeles, it’s a chance to level the score with their newfound rivals on home turf and a chance to put themselves in pole position to make it to the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons. 

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Article written by Noah Guttman

© Noah Guttman