3 bold predictions for Rams season opener against the Lions

Rams get immediate help from their rookie defensive linemen, Jared Verse and Braden Fiske

Will the Los Angeles Rams be able to take down the team that took them out of the Super Bowl race or will they fall short like last time? With a new season upon us and plenty of new and some familiar faces on both teams only time will tell. For now though, here are some bold predictions for the Rams season opener against the Lions on Sunday Night Football to get your mind racing on what is to come.

Jared Verse and Braden Fiske get their first sacks of their career

The Rams reconfigured defensive line has been a question mark all offseason long after Aaron Donald’s retirement from the game—on Sunday the questions will be answered. Both Jared Verse and Braden Fiske have gotten their flowers in the offseason sessions but none of that will matter this Sunday when the real action starts.

There will not be any “gimmes” in Week 1 for the Rams young rushers because the Detroit Lions have one of the best offensive lines in football. They will of course miss Jonah Jackson, LA’s newest center, but their fortress is guarded by two of the best linemen in Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow. Last year Sewell was PFF’s highest ranked lineman regardless of position and Ragnow was the highest rated center in the league. In 2023 the unit has a whole ranked fourth in sacks given with just 31.

The Rams defense did have some success against Detroit’s offensive line in last year’s NFC Wild Card game with three total sacks, however, two of those sacks did come from Ernest Jones who is no longer with the team.

Verse and Fiske are both eager to get on the field and both have something to prove. Verse was LA’s only first round pick since Jared Goff was taken in 2016 and General Manager Les Snead used a package of draft picks to move up in the second round to pick up Fiske in a move that many claim to be one of the most expensive second round transactions in recent memory. None of that will matter if the former FSU teammates hit their mark on Sunday which I believe they will.

My Prediction: Both Fiske and Verse get their first sack of their careers against the Lions O-Line.

Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff combine for 15 or fewer incompletions

In last year’s playoff game Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff combined for 644 passing yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions with a combined passing rating of 121.3 and between the two only contributed 16 incompletions on 63 attempts. I did the math—that’s a 74.6% completion rate.

Could we see a similar stat line on Sunday?

Neither Stafford or Goff played any snaps in the preseason and may need to shake some rust off in Week 1 but it shouldn’t take too long for them to find their groove. Last year Stafford had 14 incompletions on 38 attempts but threw for 334 yards in a opening win against the Seattle Seahawks without Cooper Kupp in the lineup. Goff was 23 of 35 with 253 yards passing in Detroit’s surprising upset in their road opener against the Kansas City Chiefs with Jahmyr Gibbs seeing limited playing time in his first game as a rookie. Both quarterbacks had strong starts to the season despite limited playing time in the offseason.

Rust may not matter too much with both QBs going against an unproven secondary.

The Rams did a complete overhaul of their secondary with the additions of Tre’Davious White, Darious Williams, and Kameron Curl but the groups have had little playing time together and may need a few games to get rolling. The same goes for the Lions who have had some injuries in their secondary in the offseason that kept the group from developing with each other in camp. Some of those injuries will continue in the regular season with Ifeatu Melifonwu still dealing with an undisclosed ailment.

Despite swapping teams just three years ago both quarterbacks have proven that they are two of the best at their position in the NFC and can carve a defense with lethal accuracy, which is why I am predicting that they throw 15 or fewer incompletions combined in Week 1.

Kyren Williams takes a punt return to the house

Sean McVay has a proven record as a young head coach and has given the fan base no reason not to trust his decisions, but man, does he make it hard sometimes. It was originally predicted that punt returner duties would go to either free agent signing Boston Scott or standout preseason receiver Xavier Smith but with neither of them on the 53-man roster the responsibility has fallen on LA’s star running back, Kyren Williams.

“Anytime you can put the ball in a playmaker’s hand you’re going to be happy about it. If [Kyren Williams] is touching the ball it is good for the Rams,” Mike LaFleur explained.

Williams was the Rams punt returner for the first three games last season but lost the responsibility to become the workhorse of the backfield. He had a long of 11 yards and averaged 7 yards on his three attempts.

The plan could be to just put someone reliable in the position to fair catch or let the ball go, but this decision seems to be more than that. McVay obviously liked something he saw and thinks Williams can be a weapon in special teams like he is on the offense, which is why I am choosing to trust McVay and predict that the Rams shifty running back will take a punt return to the house against the Lions on Sunday.