• Kalif Raymond, Detroit Lions — Over 19.5 rush/receiving yards: Kalif Raymond may get overlooked in this offense next to an elite threat like Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he continues to be in the right place at the right time for Jared Goff. That helped him eclipse this mark in 11 of his 17 games.
• 2023 wild-card rematch: When these two teams last met, Matthew Stafford was making his return to Detroit and the Lions were hosting their first playoff game in three decades.
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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions (-3.5) [Total: 51]
Game Overview
When these two teams last met, Matthew Stafford was making his return to Detroit and the Lions were hosting their first playoff game in three decades. When it was all said, the now-Rams quarterback’s homecoming was foiled by a narrow one-point Detroit victory, 24-23, to move on to the divisional round.
Battered by a vicious Lions pass rush all day, Stafford put up a masterful 86.1 PFF passing grade, highlighted by four big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays. Edge defender Aidan Hutchinson ultimately proved too much to handle, as he made short work of the Rams' offensive line by racking up nine of the team’s 19 pressures, including two sacks and three quarterback hits.
Despite coming away with the win, this Lions defense became intimately aware of the glaring holes in their secondary, if they weren’t already, spurring them to select a pair of cornerbacks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, including Alabama's Terrion Arnold.
Although the Rams said goodbye to one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game in Aaron Donald, they possess some young, talented pass-rushers who will hope to carry the torch, namely second-year interior defender Kobie Turner and rookie edge defender Jared Verse. Trying to fill the shoes of the future Hall of Famer is a near-impossible task, but getting even halfway to that level will go a long way toward helping this defense transition into a new age.
And of course, the Rams return one of the league’s best receiving tandems in Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. The former erupted in his first playoff game, racking up nine receptions for 181 yards and a score and breaking D.K. Metcalf’s rookie playoff receiving yardage record on his way to earning a 93.1 PFF receiving grade. Nacua has been recovering from a knee injury in camp, but reports are positive heading into Week 1.
Truth be told, we haven’t seen much of these teams in live game action since their playoff exits, as neither opted to play much, if any, of their starters this preseason. That leaves many questions for both of these teams hoping to return to the playoffs.
WR Kalif Raymond, Detroit Lions: Over 19.5 Rush/Recv Yards (-110) — 13.6% PFF Greenline Edge
While the Rams' secondary wasn’t without flashes in 2023, the group struggled mightily in spots and ultimately fell in the playoffs because of it. Last season, this defense allowed the ninth-highest open target percentage (58.6%) and ranked 14th in EPA allowed per dropback.
Unfortunately, this cornerback room hasn’t been the picture of health coming out of camp. Cornerback Darious Williams was placed on injured reserve this week, and cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring) was limited in practice most of the week but is expected to play. Additionally, free-agent signing Tre’Davious White missed practice for rest, leaving questions about how he can perform after last seeing an NFL snap in Week 4 of 2023.
Kalif Raymond may get overlooked in this offense next to an elite threat like Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he continues to be in the right place at the right time for quarterback Jared Goff. The Lions receiver is more than capable of hitting this line in receiving yardage alone, but the boost in odds by tagging on the combined yardage is a more lucrative play, given Raymond also averaged 10.7 yards per carry last season. That helped him eclipse this mark in 11 of his 17 games.
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