Rams Week 1 Recap: Lions 26 – Rams 20
There has never been a better moment to be a Detroit Lions fan. You go into the season with high hopes after almost punching your ticket to the Super Bowl, and on top of it all, you get to show up and show out against the very team that gave you your first postseason win in over 20 years.
Too bad the Rams didn’t show up when it counted.
After losing many faces on offense, the Rams looked like they were missing Aaron Donald as they fell in overtime 26-20 to the Lions. The Rams looked like hot garbage the entire game, and just when it looked like they would get their first win of the season, Jake Bates silenced them and woke up the crowd in the Motor City.
Despite Matthew Stafford completing 34 of his 49 passes for 317 yards, it was indeed all about the pick he threw into the end zone at halftime as he went toe to toe with Jared Goff, who finished with 18 completions out of his 27 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown in. David Montgomery went from villain (with the Bears) to hero as he waltzed his way into the end zone for a one yard touchdown run in overtime to give the Lions the win in OT to make it 2-0 against their former Field General.
If this was about what happens next, the Lions are continuing to push forward in their quest to make it to the Super Bowl, while the Rams are still trying to find their identity once again. After Puka Nacua went down early with a knee injury, it was up to Cooper Kupp to remind them who they were as he finished with 110 yards on 14 catches and a touchdown. Missing from this game were the rookie wideouts that garnered so much praise and attention in the preseason as the Rams suffered a debilitating loss in the house that Stafford built.
This game was trash from the beginning as there were tons of no-calls by the refs and bad calls on top of it, including a rush at the goal line by Jahmyr Gibbs that was reviewed and called as a touchdown despite the shoulder of Gibbs hitting the ground first. But yes, it is easy to blame the refs for being the refs, however, the reality is that while Sean McVay may have been smiling at halftime, he better go beast mode in the locker room after this dumpster fire of a choke job by the Rams on BOTH sides of the ball.
It seemed like Byron Young and Cobie Durant were the only ones that showed up for this game on defense, which is not a good sign for the future of the season for the Rams. They are in the toughest division in the NFC, and with the Seahawks riding high on a win, the Cardinals (who the Rams got coming up next week) showing they can play and the Niners most likely getting a ‘W’ tomorrow night against the Jets, this was the wrong time for the Rams to continue their rebuilding mantra.
While most of the Rams feel the fans won’t turn on them, it has already happened. Speculation is that after tonight’s garbage run, the jerseys and flags are getting torched, and there is a good chance that some writers are planning to put the Rams at the lowest of the bottom of their team rankings after tonight’s performance.
Don’t be surprised if this writer follows suit in the worst way possible…with the fans.