5 things to watch: Lions vs. Rams
The Detroit Lions kick off one of the most anticipated regular seasons in franchise history tonight in front of a national audience as they host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. Both the Lions and Rams have playoff aspirations in the NFC, so this is a critical intraconference matchup Week 1.
Here are five things I'll be looking out for in this matchup:
1. NEW-LOOK SECONDARY
The secondary that starts tonight for Detroit against the Rams is a lot different than the one they started against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game last season.
We could see four different starters in five spots – including the nickel – with Brian Branch moving from the nickel to safety (even though he will still play some nickel), veteran Carlton Davis III starting at one outside cornerback spot, rookie Terrion Arnold starting at the other spot and veteran Amik Robertson playing in the nickel. Kerby Joseph is the only starter expected to be in the same spot.
The Lions knew improving the league's 27th ranked pass defense was the No. 1 priority this offseason, and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has been really happy with the improvements he's see thus far in that aspect of his defense.
"Well, I would say this, they haven't played together a lot," Glenn said. "I think we've just got damn good players and when you have players like that, it's up to us as coaches to make sure we put them in positions and coach them to communicate at a high level. I'm excited about the guys that we have. I'm excited about our linebackers, I'm excited about our front. I expect us to be a damn good defense, and the guys expect that too."
Play caller Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, wide receiver Puka Nacua and the rest of the Rams' offense will certainly be a great challenge for this secondary. We'll learn a lot about them tonight.
2. WILLIAMS AS NO. 2
One of the young players on this Lions roster earmarked for a breakout season is wide receiver Jameson Williams, who takes on a much bigger role in the offense this season as the No. 2 receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Williams had a terrific offseason and training camp. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said this week his confidence in Williams is as high as it's ever been and continuing to climb.
We can count on one hand the number of players in this league that can take the top off the defense like Williams can. He's incorporated the entire route tree into his repertoire and is expected to play at least double the snaps he did a year ago. He brings an explosive element to Johnson's offense he hasn't consistently had, and everyone is excited about what Williams' increased reps could mean for this offense.
3. NO AARON DONALD
It will be a little strange not seeing No. 99 anchoring the middle of the Rams' defensive front. The future Hall of Famer retired this offseason after a stellar career. That's obviously a big loss for the Rams' defense, but they still feel really good about some of the young talent they've amassed upfront, including Kobie Turner, who had nine sacks last season along the interior, and the addition of rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.
"I expect them to be better than they were last year," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said this week. "The influx of youth that they got this year, those were all players that we really liked too in the draft and so I think they're going to be a better team."
Campbell thinks the Lions are a better team too, which should make this a heck of a matchup tonight.
4. UNLEASH HUTCH
If there was an MVP award given out for training camp performance, third-year defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson would have won for the Lions hands-down. He was a beast all throughout camp.
"Hutch has had a tremendous offseason," Glenn said this week. "He had a tremendous training camp, and now he's at that point that he needs to set his sights at being, if not being the best player, defensively, in this league, to one of the best players – which he is, but now it's time to look at himself as the best player."
With a more talented secondary behind him and some new running mates alongside him upfront (most notably DJ Reader and Marcus Davenport), things are in place for Hutchinson to have a monster season. His 101 total pressures last season trailed only Micah Parsons (103), but his 11.5 sacks were tied for 12th most. Increasing his sack numbers could have a big impact on the defense. Last season across the league, offenses scored (TD or FG) when taking a sack on the drive only 22.9 percent of the time. They scored a touchdown when taking a sack on the drive just 7.6 percent of the time.
1 / 28
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26), Detroit Lions running back Jermar Jefferson (28) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
2 / 28
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
3 / 28
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
4 / 28
Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
5 / 28
Detroit lions wide receiver Allen Robinson (8) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
6 / 28
Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch (32) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
7 / 28
Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (0) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
8 / 28
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
9 / 28
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44), Detroit Lions Linebackers Coach Kelvin Sheppard during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
10 / 28
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Isaac Ukwu (45) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
11 / 28
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
12 / 28
Detroit Lions punter Jack Fox (3) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
13 / 28
Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55), Detroit Lions Linebackers Coach Kelvin Sheppard during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
14 / 28
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
15 / 28
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Marcus Davenport (92) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
16 / 28
Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (13), Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
17 / 28
Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (13) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
18 / 28
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
19 / 28
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (9) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
20 / 28
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
21 / 28
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Michael Niese (62), Detroit Lions offensive lineman Giovanni Manu (59) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
22 / 28
Detroit Lions safety Brandon Joseph (12) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
23 / 28
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Josh Paschal (93) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
24 / 28
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
25 / 28
Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki (33), Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (13) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
26 / 28
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
27 / 28
Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
28 / 28
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on September 5, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
5. BATES DEBUT
Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said this week Jake Bates is the most talented kicker he's ever had the pleasure to work with. That's pretty high praise coming from Fipp, who's worked with a lot of good ones over his 17 years coaching in the NFL. That's the potential he sees in Bates, but he also said he might have to preach some patience early on as Bates is still very much a developing player.
"I feel great about Bates," Fipp said. "He's definitely a young player, he's going to have some ups and downs."
There's no denying the raw talent and leg strength Bates has. He'll get an opportunity to show that off tonight. Can he develop into the next great Lions kicker?
