The first full day of NFL football in 2024 is finally here, and the Los Angeles Rams take on the Detroit Lions in Week 1 action.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game today.
How Do You Watch Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions?
- Start time: Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, 8:20 p.m. ET
- Channel: NBC
- Live stream options: Peacock
- Radio Stations: ESPNLA 710 AM, 97.1 The Ticket
- Starting QBs: Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff
- Betting lines:
- Spread: DET -3.5
- Total: 51
- Moneyline: DET -180, LAR +150
After a down year in 2022, the Rams returned to form in 2023 despite a 3-6 start to the season. Puka Nacua’s emergence helped ease Cooper Kupp’s absence at the beginning of the season.
However, after Kupp returned to the roster, the duo thrived, completely changing the dynamic of the Rams offense and giving QB Matthew Stafford two solid pairs of hands to target. Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell return to be depth, but it was preseason standout Jordan Whittington who turned heads in August. Will he add a third bona fide star to the Rams WR room?
However, Nacua wasn’t the only player that broke out last season. After a solid start to the season, Rams RB Kyren Williams saw an impressive start to 2023 before getting slowed by an ankle injury in the middle of the season. After a brief stint on injured reserve, Williams returned better than ever, finishing an eye-popping season as the Rams RB1.
The Rams are looking for some success in the NFC, but the same can be said for the Lions. After a long period of struggles, head coach Dan Campbell finally got Detroit a playoff win for the first time since 1991. With the franchise moving in the right direction for the first time in the 21st century, the expectations are higher than ever, and for good reason.
QB Jared Goff continues to look solid after being traded for Stafford. Meanwhile, the offensive playmakers keep getting experience with every season under their belt. RB Jahmyr Gibbs has been a bit hampered by a hamstring issue in the preseason, but the Lions’ 2023 first-round pick is healthy and ready to go for Week 1.
Amon-Ra St. Brown headlines the receiving room, but 2022 first-round WR Jameson Williams is finally ready to show the Lions what he can bring to the table after missing the first four games of the 2023 season due to a betting suspension. However, the WR depth is scarce outside of Williams and St. Brown, with Tre’Quan Smith and Antoine Green on IR.
As for the defense, Detroit added another secondary piece in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting CB Terrion Arnold with the 24th overall pick. With a relatively young age across the defense, the Lions continue to add to the talent while adding offseason additions like CB Carlton Davis III and Marcus Davenport to strengthen the unit further.
Rams at Lions Betting Preview
The Rams are still a playoff-caliber team when Stafford is at the helm (9-6 in 2023), but they struggled when he wasn’t on the field. Meanwhile, Detroit was superb last year, going 11-5 against the spread when favored and only failing to cover once in the last six weeks — which ironically was when they hosted L.A. in last year’s Wild Card game.
For more betting analysis, make sure to check out PFN’s Week 1 picks and predictions.