Those who experienced both games said the 2023 Wild Card trip to Detroit was even louder than the 2018 NFC Championship in New Orleans.
The echo of that January loss was surely ringing in the ears of the Rams throughout their offseason, all the more so once the schedule was released with the rematch atop the Royal Tour.
Fitting, isn't it? That in 2024, the first step forward doubles as the last look back.
Built Ford Tough
In free agency, through the draft and college free agent process, with their strength and conditioning, and ultimately with their roster decisions, the number one thing I've seen the Rams prioritize the past year?
Bigger, stronger, and most importantly tougher.
If you were to word cloud Sean McVay's offseason press conferences, "toughness" would be a big ol' bubble. They want this to be a gritty group. Because plays fail, scheme evolves, players make mistakes, weather disrupts, injuries dismantle depth charts, and the opponent has a say.
But if you're the toughest team in the building – especially when you have an elite coach and quarterback partnership – good results are bound to follow in the NFL. And more so than at any point since their return to LA, it seems the 2024 Rams have crafted an identity, or aspire to one, of imposing their will on both sides of scrimmage.
I'm not sure there's a greater test of whether that's true than going back to the Motor City, this time without their one-man enforcer Aaron Donald, to kick off a new season at Ford Field.
The Rematch
It would be great if Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff clash several more times before their careers are through, perhaps as soon as this January.
This feels like the last time we'll frame it as Stafford vs. Goff, though.
Jared's first visit to SoFi Stadium as a Lion was notable. Matthew's return to Detroit was historic. And there's a reason why the rematch of last year's playoff game was selected for Sunday Night Football in Week 1.
But from now on, it should be less about those quarterbacks, the trade and their former teams, and more about what's emerging as a fresh NFC rivalry between two well-run franchises.
(And the next time the Rams play the Lions, here's hoping Tyler Higbee is in uniform.)
Arm and a Legacy
Earlier this week, I took a deep dive into Stafford’s Hall of Fame chances.
We also spoke with QB1 on the season debut of Rams Revealed.
You can catch his comments on rushing to Tyler Higbee's defense, the late shuffle along the Rams offensive line, the decibels in Detroit, and much more in this preview of his 16th NFL season and fourth with Los Angeles.
Refillable Kupp
We could all see that Stafford's favorite target was playing at less than 100 percent last year, and that the normally in lockstep partnership was out of sync.
As much as any individual storyline in 2024, I'm all in on the Cooper Kupp Comeback Tour.
His underlying metrics were actually very solid when he was available in 2023, his film showed he was still untouchable with his releases, there's still a supercomputer between his ears, and he and Stafford just had their first cohesive offseason together since 2021, when Kupp won a Triple Crown and Super Bowl MVP.
I'm not saying he'll do either at this stage of his career, but I'm a firm believer that so long as he's partnered with Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay, Cooper Kupp has superlative seasons left.
Super Bowl or Bust
As for his counterpart in Detroit, who ended the Rams season last January…
"I can truthfully say this year, it's not even playoffs. It's not the No. 1 seed. It's the Super Bowl," Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was quoted as saying after the first training camp practice of the season.
Those are things that a $120-million wide receiver is prone to professing. But seldom do you hear a general manager go out on that limb.
"Win the Super Bowl," Brad Holmes said last week when asked what his expectations were for the 2024 Lions.
Rambition
Do the Rams have their eyes on the same prize?
I'm about to do something silly. I've already deleted this section and rewritten it several times.
Going down the schedule and marking wins and losses is a fool's errand; I know better. And for sure I'll stop well short of any predictions.
Yet 2024 has a very clear setup to my eye, and I can't resist casting a few mile markers for the season in large part because I'm braced for a gradual, steady climb.
The Rams will have to play really well to have two-or-more wins at their Week 6 bye. And so long as they're at least 2-3 at that juncture, they'll be fine. I think they need to be braced for some body blows early on, and use last year's experience to stay patient and bought in, if necessary.
It really seems like sweeping Weeks 7 and 8 is a ginormous key to setting a course for a championship season. Just like the Rams were able to win two home games in five days last year against the Commanders and Saints to make their playoff push, they'll have two home games in five days this October against the Raiders and Vikings. And most importantly, coming off the open date, they'll have 14 days to prepare for that home back-to-back. If the Rams can earn those two wins, they'd be set up with a mini-bye to reset for a trip to Seattle – the last game before the trade deadline.
If they've banked at least six wins by Thanksgiving, and the two-deep is relatively intact, I'll like LA's chances of contending, perhaps accelerating to the postseason as they did in 2023.
Let's all come back and laugh at this section in a few weeks.
AFC Ya Later
Then again, for the Rams to be dangerous, anything other than a fast start may be unacceptable.
In the hierarchy of games, the most important are their six division contests, then the other six NFC games, and lastly the five inter-conference assignments.
That's more than just bragging rights; that's how NFL tie-breaking procedures value your games and decide postseason fates.
Therefore, the consequences are paramount when the Rams open with five straight NFC opponents, all of whom could be contenders (yes, even the Cardinals).
And it shouldn't be lost on any of us the potential implications of a head-to-head result, either.
If what we hinted at above comes to fruition and the Lions and Rams do collide in the 2024 postseason, then the outcome here in Week One could decide whether that rematch is contested in Inglewood or the Motor City.
Lions Legit
Two things are true about the 2023 Lions: If a flag is thrown on Cameron Sutton for clinging to Puka Nacua on third down last January, Detroit's playoff losing streak might still be older than Goff. But also, the Lions should have beaten the 49ers and represented the NFC in the Super Bowl.
They were that good last season. And they got better since, spamming their biggest shortcoming – the secondary.
First, they signed cornerback Amik Robertson in free agency then traded for Carlton Davis. But the Lions didn't stop there, spending a first-round pick on Terrion Arnold then a second-round pick on Ennis Rakestraw, Jr.
Detroit allowed 22 touchdowns to wide receivers in last year's regular season, then four more in the playoffs.
The offense is championship-worthy; is their defense ready to do its part?
Duck and Cover(age)
The Rams are very much like the Lions in that regard, having totally revamped the back end of their defense. Quentin Lake will be the only opening night starter in the secondary we would have been able to predict before free agency.
So if there's a phase most likely to decide this opening match, it figures to be coverage – which retooled secondary is ready for primetime? The Lions are going to have (at least) one rookie starter, while the Rams have a lot riding on Tre'Davious White and Darious Williams, two corners aged 29 and 31, respectively.
But whereas the Rams are loaded at receiver – six deep, without room to squeeze Xavier Smith onto their 53-man roster – the Lions are still looking to replace Josh Reynolds' targets at WR3, and they're dependent on WR2 Jameson Williams taking the leap in his third season. (Although, they have more career receptions on their practice squad than their active roster.)
They might have the next best tight end in the game, and arguably the top running back tandem in the NFL, so collectively their skill is elite. But I'm cautiously optimistic about the Rams matchups in the passing game Sunday night.
Feeling Fiske-y
Running out of room here, and still so much to say. As succinctly as possible, here's what IS left on my mind.
The biggest criticism of the Rams draft was that they overpaid to trade up and select Braden Fiske. In terms of draft value charts, I get it. But knowing how highly LA thought of the Florida State defensive tackle and where they would have been willing to select him, and based on how Fiske impacted the summer program, and understanding the skyrocketing value of that position, we might soon be saying it was easily worth trading next year's second round pick to get an additional "first-round pick" right now…
On multiple occasions on multiple platforms, McVay has said he made the wrong decision to punt in crunch time last January in Detroit. In 2024, he hired a new game management coordinator, John Streicher. If Year 8 is one that's remembered for McVay acing the test when it comes to timeout usage, challenges, and fourth down decisions, that will translate to at least an additional win over the course of the year…
Just now, at age 38, McVay's no longer the youngest head coach in the league. Both Jerod Mayo in New England and Mike Macdonald in Seattle have succeeded him. However, McVay does have one of the youngest teams in the NFL, with more rookies (17) than any other roster…
From one of them, new kicker Joshua Karty, let's look for production not perfection. That's akin to how I feel about Chris Shula's defense, too. I'll consider their season a success if they see a spike in disruption and takeaways. Get this Rams offense an extra possession here, a shorter field there. Stafford and company will be able to cover for some defensive growing pains…
I like the Lions linebackers, Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell. But if they have a graded weakness, it's coverage. And one of McVay's superpowers is exploiting linebackers in coverage. To be fair, and demonstrate a bit of self-awareness, LA's projected starting linebackers aren't exactly known for their coverage skills, either…
I have no idea who's going to lead this Rams roster in sacks. Do you?…
Tight end Colby Parkinson's career stats from his four years in Seattle: 57 receptions, 618 yards, 4 touchdowns. I wouldn't be surprised if his 2024 totals with LA look similar, maybe better…
Parkinson should be a red zone weapon. The Rams were sensational in that area of the field all season last year, until the playoffs. The Lions scored from the one-yard line, the 10, and the two to open that Wild Card battle. They never trailed. Conversely, the Rams settled for three red zone field goals and lost by one point.
If the way the Rams reserves tackled (impeccably) in the first couple preseason games was any indication of how the ones are going to hit, LA has a chance to really overachieve on defense. Similarly, the underrated element of having a healthy Kupp on the field with Puka (and Kyren Williams and perhaps Jordan Whittington, for that matter) is does the opposing defense have enough fundamental tacklers to limit their elite yards after contact skills?
In 2022, Joe Noteboom signed a contract to the be the Rams left tackle of the future, taking over for Andrew Whitworth. It didn't happen then, but what if he seizes it now, filling in during Alaric Jackson's two-game suspension? (And it's worth underscoring that Noteboom's been an incredible insurance policy.)
The Rams will play more outdoor games this season (five, even if we don't count SoFi Stadium) than the Lions (three).
This time last year for the Rams, Kevin Dotson was just unpacking his luggage. Cam Akers and Van Jefferson were starters. Puka Nacua waiver claims hadn't been filed. We hadn't met The Conductor or Agent Zero. Demarcus Robinson's first target and the pistol formation were months away. Cooper Kupp was on injured reserve. I'm reminding myself, as much as anything, that the journey is just beginning.
If that wasn't enough, here's a whole lot more from our Between the Horns preview.
Watching the West
Finally, in this space last year, with the Rams at 3-6, we asked you to buy in to the playoff possibility. Then we tracked games across the NFL that mattered, and scenarios that were impacted, all the way to 10 wins and a wild card berth.
It's too ambitious to do that again all season long. But here's what I'm thinking: Winning the NFC West should be the Rams primary aiming point. So let's close out each week's column by keeping an eye on the competition.
Anytime an AFC team beats and NFC team, that helps the Rams. Coincidently, all three of LA's division rivals have intra-conference battles in Week 1.
Perhaps you've heard me trumpeting the Cardinals improvement throughout the offseason. They have a chance to prove it right out the gates with a trip to Orchard Park. After they return from Buffalo, they'll host the Rams in Week 2. Arizona is very much on my radar.
The Seahawks host the Broncos to open the Macdonald era in Seattle. I think a 2-0 start is critical for them to build early momentum after the coaching change, but also because they have the Dolphins and Lions in Weeks 3 and 4.
And then Aaron Rodgers' two-decade-long vendetta against the 49ers will continue at Levi's on Monday Night Football. San Francisco is again the front-runner in the West, and they'll visit Minnesota before serving as the Rams home-opening opponent at SoFi Stadium in Week 3.
Thanks for reading. It's an incredible privilege to follow this season with you.
