One of the biggest games of the Los Angeles Rams’ season takes place in Week 15, as they’ll face Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT at SoFi Stadium. A win keeps the Rams in first place of the NFC with an even better shot at the coveted first-round bye, while a loss could drop them all the way to a Wild Card spot.
Detroit, meanwhile, is still fighting to get into the playoff picture. They are currently in eighth place in the NFC, one game back of the division rival Chicago Bears at No. 7. And Goff will return to Los Angeles for another homecoming affair.
Sunday will mark the fourth time that Goff has played against the Rams since he was dealt to the Lions in the Matthew Stafford trade. He played against the Rams in L.A. back in 2021, and lost 28-19. They then played in Detroit twice, once in the season opener last season — a 26-20 Lions win — and in the Wild Card round of the playoffs the year prior, a 24-23 win for Goff and Co.
With all those previous battles, and it having been years since the trade, Goff admitted the matchup doesn’t have the same emotion as it used to, via John Maakaron of Sports Illustrated:
“Not so much anymore. No,” Goff replied, when asked if he still felt the same emotional charge facing Sean McVay’s squad. “And really, I mean, we played them in that playoff game, was such a big deal. The next year, played them again and that felt like even less. So now, it’s even further removed, and yeah, they’re a really good team and we’ll have our hands full.”
Goff was highly complimentary of the Rams, praising them for their work on both sides of the ball, and what MVP candidate Matthew Stafford has done this season:
“I think we’re both really good teams. I’ve got so much respect for those guys over there and how well they’re playing, how well they’re coached. Certainly the film I’m watching, their defense is really impressive. (Rams defensive coordinator) Coach (Chris) Shula is doing a great job, and obviously we know what they’re doing on offense,” said Goff. “Scoring all the points, Matthew (Stafford)’s playing really well, the whole thing. So yeah, we’ve got our hands full and got to find a way to win.”
Goff has always been a mature figure, and someone who — even when the matchup did have emotion for him — was always going to praise what the Rams are doing. He was a major part in getting the franchise to where they are today, leading them to a Super Bowl in 2018.
He has now overseen a similar rapid ascension in Detroit. And with a win on Sunday, can bring his team one step closer to their third consecutive postseason appearance.
Rams can clinch playoff berth with win over Lions
The Rams have established themselves as one of the best teams in the NFL this season. With arguably the MVP front-runner in Stafford, one of the league’s best receiving duos in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, a defense that is one of the best at pressuring the quarterback, and a top-tier coach in McVay, the Rams have all the makings for a Super Bowl run.
At 10-3, the Rams currently sit atop the NFC, but teams are right on their heels. The division-rival Seattle Seahawks have the same record while the Green Bay Packers are right there as well at 9-3-1. The road to the Super Bowl definitely won’t be an easy one, but the Rams can get one step closer if they can pick up a win on Sunday.
The Rams are set to host the explosive Lions in Week 15 in what should be an excellent matchup and if L.A. can pick up the win, they will clinch a playoff berth.
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