The Detroit Lions have never known expectations like this. After falling just short of their first ever Super Bowl berth, the Lions are being hailed as one of the NFC's best teams headed into the season.
It is easy to understand why. The Lions have one of the league's best, most balanced offenses that is bursting with talented young players. The Lions also kept OC Ben Johnson to have some nice continuity in the play calling department.
Detroit also shored up its defense by rebuilding its cornerback room via free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft.
Now, the Lions get their first chance to prove their worth against the Rams on Sunday Night Football.
Below we will explore four bold predictions related to the Detroit Lions in their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Both Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford will go over 300 passing yards
On one hand, this does not feel like it is going out on much of a limb. Both Goff and Stafford and good QBs who are expected to throw the ball around every week.
During their last matchup, Stafford went for well over 300 yards and Goff logged 277 thanks to Detroit's healthy run game.
However, both the Lions and Rams have good ground games that limit how much each team has to rely on the passing game. In fact, both Stafford (10) and Goff (12) had under 300 passing yards in the majority of their regular season games in 2023.
Therefore, it is a bold prediction to assume that both QBs will have a 300+ yard game in the same outing.
Looking at the matchups, this could be a bolder prediction to make about Goff than it is for Stafford.
The Lions had one of the league's best run defense units in the NFL in 2023. Detroit's defense was one of the top five units in the league in terms of rushing yards allowed (1,510, 2nd) and first downs allowed rushing (91, 3rd) according to Pro Football Focus.
How is this relevant to the passing yards discussion? If the Lions can be equally as effective in 2024, it could force the Rams to lean on the passing game to have a shot at winning. That easily puts Stafford into 300+ yard territory.
Meanwhile, the Lions have arguably the best offensive line in the NFL and two excellent running backs. Detroit will prioritize a strong running game regardless of whether they're winning or losing, which could eat into Goff's production.
Regardless, I'm going out on a limb and predicting a pass-happy shootout on Sunday Night Football.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs will score two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving
You'd have to be living under a rock to have not heard all of the Jahmyr Gibbs hype heading into the 2024 season.
The Detroit Lions shocked the NFL when they selected Gibbs early in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Many analysts critiqued the Lions for selecting a player at a low position of value with a premium draft pick.
Luckily for the Lions, Gibbs wasted no time in proving them right.
Gibbs had an excellent rookie season, rushing for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season at a 5.2 yards per carry pace. He also contributed 316 receiving yards and a touchdown as a pass catcher.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about Gibbs heading into 2024.
Gibbs will be much more familiar with the NFL from jump than he was as a rookie, so it is reasonable to expect some improvement from that alone.
The Lions were a little hesitant to fully unleash Gibbs early in the 2023 season, but that does not seem likely in 2024. Gibbs will be one of the team's major offensive weapons starting in Week 1.
My prediction: Gibbs puts up two touchdowns in the season opener — one on the ground and one through the air.
Why does my prediction include a receiving touchdown?
This is the next area of Gibbs' game that Detroit plans to unleash in 2024. The team was very open about the fact that they gave Gibbs plenty of work with the wide receivers during training camp.
Don't be surprised to see Gibbs receive a consistent volume of targets in the receiving game. Detroit's top receiving weapons outside of Gibbs are Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and Jameson Williams in (hopefully) an expanded role. That still leaves plenty of meat on the bone for Gibbs to get work in the receiving game.
Gibbs will make an exclamation point in Week 1 by getting in the end zone twice.
Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp rekindle their past connection, Kupp leads Rams in receptions and targets
We've all heard the stories about Stafford and Kupp eating breakfast together at the Rams facility in 2021. That tradition helped forge a bond that resulted in one of the truly special connections between a QB and WR in a single season.
Stafford and Kupp went absolutely nuclear in Stafford's first season with the Rams. In 2021, Kupp hauled in 145(!) passes for 1,947 yards(!) and 16 touchdowns.
Related NewsArticle continues below
Unfortunately, Kupp has dealt with multiple injuries over the past two seasons that have decreased his effectiveness.
During the 2022 season, Kupp suffered multiple pedal ankle sprains, the second of which landed him on IR and ended his season. Kupp also missed the first four games of the 2023 season with a hamstring strain and was hobbled again by another pedal ankle sprain. However, this time the ankle sprain did not cause him to miss any games. Regardless, it seems clear that he was playing through pain for part of the 2023 season with that injury.
By Kupp's own admission, returning to good health has been a major boon this offseason.
“The best thing … was just being able to feel healthy and have a full offseason of work, not just for myself in terms of working out and building my body back up but also having that time with Matthew,” Kupp said in an interview on Good Morning Football in July, per NFL.com. “(And) being able to get on the field and work through things together. (The) first few days of camp have been awesome. Things have been clicking and (I'm) looking forward to continue to build on that this year.”
My prediction: Stafford and Kupp will remind us of their special 2021 season. Cooper Kupp will lead the Rams in both receptions and targets in Week 1 against the Lions.
Puka Nacua is still a factor too, but this game is for Kupp.
The Lions beat the Rams by one score
The Lions beat the Rams 24-23 during the playoffs in 2023 to gain their first postseason win in 32 years. We could be looking at a similar score on Sunday.
This prediction is very simple, basically just picking the game and a rough over/under. I believe that the Lions will beat the Rams on Sunday Night Football. However, I don't believe we're in blowout territory.
Detroit has an improved pass coverage unit that should be a massive upgrade from 2023. However, they should need some time to gel together, so expect a few big plays from Kupp and Nacua. That should keep the Lions from running away with this game.
Give me the Lions by four points.
