The Los Angeles Rams are back atop the conference standings, and remain there, but the Detroit Lions are in their way in Week 15. L.A. is 2-2 against Detroit under Sean McVay, yet has lost the last two in the series, including a 26-20 overtime win for the Lions in the 2024 season opener. Fortunately for the Rams, this one’s at home after the previous two were at Ford Field.
Ahead of Sunday’s critical showdown between NFC heavyweights, I spoke with Ryan Mathews from Pride of Detroit to get the inside scoop on how the Lions have adjusted to the departures of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, how to slow down star Jahmyr Gibbs and more.
Q – There was rightfully a big deal made about the departures of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn in the offseason. The Lions have clearly gone through growing pains during this rollercoaster of a season. Still, how would you assess the job offensive coordinator John Morton and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard have done this season?
A – John Morton still has the title of offensive coordinator, but Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties about a month ago. Campbell has since been adamant about how important Morton is to preparing and gameplanning throughout the week, but the change in who was calling the plays was necessary. The offense lacked rhythm; it was bogged down with too many three-and-outs and unproductive drives. While it hasn’t been all roses since Campbell took over, the Lions have looked more consistent in their execution and less drives have stalled out before ever getting off the ground.
As for Kelvin Sheppard, his contributions have stood out in contrast to his mentor and former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Glenn was a master of doing more with less, especially last season when nearly every Lions starter on defense ended up on injured reserve at some point during the season. Sheppard arguably has a more talented defense, and while the injuries have certainly posed an issue, Sheppard’s ability to adapt and be malleable with his gameplanning on a week-to-week basis has been the biggest difference between him and his predecessor. Glenn was often seen sticking to his guns, relying on press-man coverage and “crush-the-can” approach to rushing the passer. Sheppard definitely comes from that school, but we’ve seen him – as recently as last week against Dallas – put more emphasis on getting to the quarterback quicker, even if it means missing a run fit here or there.
Q – Running back Jahmyr Gibbs is the main reason Detroit is still in the playoff race. The Rams have been pretty strong against the run this season, but how should they try to slow Gibbs down?
A – It’s interesting to see how successful the Rams have been this season in defending the run given they boast one of the lower stacked box rates in the NFL (19.8%). If the Rams want to shut down Gibbs, they’re going to need to make sure they have a plan for the right side of Detroit’s offensive line. Rookie Tate Ratledge and All-Pro Penei Sewell have helped Gibbs run his way to 7.2 yards per carry across 89 of his 186 carries this season. On top of the run game, Gibbs is having his best season so far catching the football as well, averaging 8.2 yards per reception over 58 catches–and more impressively, 1.87 yards per route run (third in the NFL among running backs).
Devoting more resources to bottle up Gibbs seems like the most pragmatic approach to slowing down the best running back in the league, but as soon as a defense could feel good about their plan for him, guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are why this Lions offense – despite a step back in talent and execution from the offensive line – is still one of the best in the league.
Q – The Lions’ margin for error is lessening as they sit at 8-5 and third place in the NFC North. This comes a year after finishing with the NFC’s top seed. Winning the NFC North is likely out, so regardless of what happens in L.A., how do you see the rest of Detroit’s season playing out?
A – Well, what happens in Los Angeles is obviously pretty important for how Detroit’s season could end up playing out. As you mentioned, the margin for error is lessening, but so are the weeks in the regular season. With only four games remaining, the Lions likely need to finish 3-1 over that stretch, and ideally, Detroit would like all three of those victories to come against their remaining NFC opponents: the Rams, the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears. If Detroit loses to Los Angeles, it pretty much rules out any chance of them catching the teams in the NFC West when it comes to conference record. However, if their only loss over these next four games is to the Rams, Detroit would need the Bears to finish 2-2 over their final four games which, looking at their schedule, isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Long story short, if the Lions don’t beat the Rams, they’ll have to be perfect over the final three weeks of the season – and need some help – in order to get into the playoffs. That’s a tall order for any football team in the NFL, so in the here and now, it truly feels like a coin flip. I guess that speaks to their 40% odds of making the playoffs according to The Athletic.
Q – Detroit has won the last two in the series, including a 26-20 win in overtime to begin the 2024 season. What is your prediction for this game?
A – Frankly, from the Lions perspective, this game has all the makings of a shootout. Detroit’s secondary has the tall task of slowing down this incredibly productive and efficient Rams’ passing attack, and I just don’t know if I see them rising to the occasion. Stafford is so cerebral in his approach at the line of scrimmage, and his ability to manipulate defenders to get the throw he wants to make is why he’s one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever seen. So from Detroit’s perspective, you have to be prepared for a shootout, and that means your offense has to be ready to answer the bell each time the Rams put points on the board.
Detroit’s best chance at winning this football game is hoping the Rams make mistakes on offense and winning the turnover battle. It’s not far-fetched after seeing the Carolina Panthers flip that Week 13 game on its head, but even with winning the turnover margin 3-0, Carolina still only won by three points.
Regardless of what happens in between the first and last whistle, whether it’s a high-scoring affair or not, I think the Rams pull this one out with their defense and relentless offensive attack, 38-31.
Q – What is one question that you have for Rams fans?
A – Be honest: when the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford, did you really know what caliber of quarterback you were getting? It’s okay, you can tell me the truth.
