Our offseason opponent breakdown series on theRams.com continues with Los Angeles' Week 15 matchup against the Detroit Lions (Week 15, SoFi Stadium, Dec. 14, 1:25 p.m. PT, FOX).
2024
The Lions' 15-2 regular season was their best in franchise history and earned them the No. 1 seed in the NFC as well as a first-round bye. Yet, it came to an end with an upset loss to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round, 45-31. Detroit had the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL at 33.2 points per game, which ranks 17th in NFL history, and the seventh-best scoring defense at 20.1 points per game allowed.
When the Rams and Lions met in Week 1 of last season, Detroit won 26-20 in overtime.
Key changes
Detroit lost both its offensive and defensive coordinators to head coaching gigs after their historic season, OC Ben Johnson to the division rival Bears and DC Aaron Glenn to the Jets. It hired former Broncos pass game coordinator John Morton as OC and promoted former linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard to DC.
The Lions replaced veteran cornerback Carlton Davis, who they lost in free agency, with another veteran in D.J. Reed, who they signed to a three-year deal. Meanwhile, four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow retired at just 29 years old, marking a blow for what was considered a top-five offensive line. Luckily, they drafted Tate Ratledge out of Georgia in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft prior to Ragnow's retirement.
A fresh bill of health will be a significant change for Detroit, as nearly half of its starters missed significant time last season due to injury, including star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 5.
Head coach
Dan Campbell enters his fifth season as the Lions' head coach with a 39-28 record coming off two-straight playoff appearances. His only other head coaching experience came in Miami where he served in an interim capacity for 12 games, going 5-7.
What to watch for
Rams' front vs. Lions' offensive line
The Lions have a strong offensive line, even with Ragnow's retirement, but still allowed the 18th-highest pressure rate in the NFL last season (33.5%), according to Next Gen Stats. They provided the sixth-most yards per contact for their pair of star running backs, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery (1.79).
Los Angeles' young pass rush exploded in the playoffs and ended the year ranked fourth in pressure rate generated including the postseason (37.1%). The Rams' front really hit their stride late last season, and will have until Week 15 to prepare for the Lions' stout offensive line. Meanwhile, Morton will have plenty of time to adjust to his new role as the Lions' play caller.
The battle in the trenches will likely determine the outcome of this late-season showdown between Super Bowl hopefuls.
