Six things about the Detroit Lions that Los Angeles Rams fans should be aware of

Six things about the Detroit Lions that Los Angeles Rams fans should be aware of

Six things about the Detroit Lions that Rams supporters should be aware of before Sunday’s NFC wild-card playoff game:

Hi, dear friend from long ago
Quarterback Jared Goff will lead the Lions into their match against his former team on Sunday, three years after he was traded from Los Angeles to Detroit. Most likely, you are familiar with the fundamentals: In the 2016 NFL Draft, Goff was chosen by the Rams with the first overall pick. After leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2018, he experienced varying degrees of success in the next two seasons until the Rams traded him to Detroit in exchange for Matthew Stafford in 2021.

Goff has matured into a Lion three years later. Goff set a career high this season with a 67.3% completion percentage. With 4,575 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns, he ranked fourth in the NFL. He hasn’t thrown 30 touchdown passes since 2018.

Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator, has provided QB Josh Goff with ample opportunity to succeed with his own brand of offensive creativity and the play-action looks he excelled at with the Rams, in addition to playmakers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, a former USC standout, and stud rookie tight end Sam LaPorta.

begins at the summit
Since taking the helm as head coach of the Lions in 2021, Dan Campbell has established quite the reputation. Campbell has been instrumental in turning the franchise around, starting with his remarks during his introductory press conference about biting his kneecap, to their fierce run-in during a playoff berth in Year 2, and their first NFC North title this year.

In the process, he has come to represent the aggression of the analytics era. If you’ve watched even one Lions game during Campbell’s tenure, you’ve probably seen the coach decide to go for one or two fourth-down conversions that made you twitch your head in doubtfully. However, Campbell and his Lions mesh well with this style, and this season, they showed their faith with a 52% fourth-down conversion rate.