The Rams began their 2024 campaign with a 26-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night. However, the final score does not reflect half of the story.
The Rams, despite being down two starters on the offensive line entering the game along with starting corner Darious Williams, had a real shot to defeat the Lions in week 1. On top of that, the Rams lost wide receiver Puka Nacua, left guard Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom to injuries in the first half of the game.
Down 17-3 in the third quarter, the Rams battled back and took a 20-17 lead late in the fourth quarter of the prime-time tilt against the Lions. Cooper Kupp returned to triple-crown form with a massive 14-reception game, totaling 110 yards receiving and a touchdown.
The Lions ended up tying the game at 20-20 and sent it to overtime, which led to Detroit winning the coin toss and the eventual game-winning touchdown by Lions running back David Montgomery. The result left the Rams with an 0-1 record.
With that being said, the Rams have nothing to hang their heads about. At the end of the day, the Lions are perceived as a Super Bowl contender in the NFC. The Lions were fully healthy, only missing defensive tackle D.J. Reader in the opener. The Rams, however, ended the game missing a total of five starters, with key players such as Nacua and Avila missing a majority of key action in the game. There is nothing the Rams should feel discouraged about.
They entered the game down two starting offensive linemen in Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein. Then, during the game, Avila and Noteboom went down with injuries and missed the rest of the game. The Avila injury led to Jonah Jackson moving to left guard and rookie Beaux Limmer came in at center. Both Limmer and Jackson played well down the stretch, however, Noteboom’s replacement did not do the same. A.J. Arcuri, who was just called up from the practice squad, looked overwhelmed and overmatched in a vast majority of his snaps, which ultimately limited the variance in play calling Sean McVay could deploy on the offensive side of the ball.
Despite the adversity, the Rams had a real shot to win the football game. So much so that, if the Rams win the overtime coin toss, we could be having a conversation about how the Rams came out with an unbelievable win as opposed to a loss in Detroit.
This loss is disappointing but it also showed the Rams are legitimate playoff contenders when you consider they went toe-to-toe with the Lions, who are seen as a top-two team in the NFC this season.
When fully healthy, there is no reason to believe the Rams are not amongst the best teams in the conference, ultimately making them Super Bowl contenders.
