Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions – Prediction, 09/08/2024, NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds, Week 1

Game: Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions

Date: Sunday, September 8, 2024

Location: Ford Field in Detroit, MI

TV: NBC

Odds/point distribution: Lions (-3.5)

Total/Over-Under: 50.5

Ford Field is where the Detroit Lions (12-5 last season) will try to defeat the Los Angeles Rams (10-7 last year) on Sunday. Los Angeles starts as a 3.5-point underdog. The total is set at 50.5.

The Los Angeles Rams finished the season with a record of 10-7. The last time they took the field, the Rams played against the Lions and lost 24-23. Matthew Stafford finished the game with 25/36, 367 yards passing, and 2 touchdowns. He had a QB rate of 120.9 and left the game without throwing a single catch. Kyren Williams was the Rams' best runner with 13 attempts for 61 yards (4.7 yards per attempt). Puka Nacua averaged 20.1 yards per reception and gained 181 yards on 9 catches. The Los Angeles Rams ran the ball 17 times and managed 68 yards, an average of 4.0 yards per attempt. In total, they had 55 plays that totaled 425 yards. Los Angeles allowed 22 passes for 255 yards on 27 attempts, a success rate of 81.5%. Against the rush, the Rams allowed 79 yards on 25 attempts, which equates to 3.2 yards per rush allowed.

In terms of scoring, the Los Angeles Rams averaged 23.8 points per game. As a unit, they averaged 120.3 yards on the ground, which ranked them 11th in the league. The Rams totaled 6,108 yards last season. Los Angeles had 206 first downs on offense and they committed 89 penalties for 720 yards. They gave the football away 18 times (13 interceptions and 5 lost fumbles). Los Angeles scored 26 passing touchdowns and 18 rushing touchdowns.

The Rams ranked 19th in the NFL in opponent points allowed and allowed 22.2 PPG. The previous season, they gave up 4.2 yards per run attempt and 106.8 yards per run play. During the season, they gave up 1,816 yards to the run game in 17 games. In terms of yards through the air, the Rams allowed 3,928 yards, which ranked them 20th in the NFL. In their 17 games played, they gave up 231.1 yards per play to the pass and allowed a 60.8% completion rate. They gave up 337.9 yards/game, which ranked them 20th in the league.

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The Lions finished the year with a record of 12-5. In their last game, the Lions lost to the 49ers 34-31. David Montgomery ran the ball 15 times for 93 yards and finished with 6.2 yards per carry for Detroit. Sam LaPorta was a popular target for the Lions, catching 9 balls for 97 yards (10.8 yards per catch). Jared Goff (1 TD) finished with 273 yards on 25/41 air runs, while his quarterback rate was 88.8. He threw no interceptions and his average yards per attempt was 6.7 yards. Detroit allowed 33 run attempts for 155 yards (4.7 yards per carry). The Lions pass defense allowed a 64.5% success rate, allowing 258 yards on 20 of 31 air attempts. The Lions finished the game with 442 yards on 72 plays (6.1 yards per play). Detroit ran 6.3 yards per attempt and finished the game with 182 yards on 29 attempts.

The Detroit Lions averaged 394.8 yards per game, ranking 3rd in the league. They averaged 135.9 yards per game on the ground and ran for 2,311 yards on the year. They threw 12 interceptions, allowed 11 fumbles to their opponents, and managed 228 first downs. The Detroit offense racked up 843 yards in penalties on 97 violations, ranking 17th in the league in terms of assisting the other team. Last season, the Lions threw for a total of 4,401 yards through the air and averaged 258.9 passing yards per game, ranking 2nd in the NFL. In terms of their ability to score points, the Lions ranked 5th in the league at 27.1 points per game.

The Lions allowed 23.2 points per game, 23rd among all NFL teams. They allowed 28 passing touchdowns and 247.4 rushing yards per game, 27th among all teams. Detroit gave up 1,509 total yards on the ground (88.8 yards per game) and 15 running touchdowns last season. The Lions' defense was on the field for 1,037 plays, 6th among all football. They had 23 turnovers last season (7 recovered fumbles and 16 interceptions). They gave up 395 total points.

Who will win the Rams/Lions NFL game against the spread tonight?

Josh's Tip: Take the Rams +3.5

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