The Los Angeles Rams won’t be eased into the 2024 season. They’ll kick things off with one of their toughest games of the year, a visit to Detroit where they’ll face the Lions on Sunday Night Football.
The Lions are expected to be a top team in the NFC so the Rams will be tested right off the bat. A win will set the tone for the rest of the season, showing Los Angeles can be a Super Bowl contender in the NFC. A loss will be a disappointment, but also not a backbreaker with 16 games still to go.
As of now, the Rams are viewed as slight underdogs by the oddsmakers. According to BetMGM, the Lions are 3.5-point favorites over the Rams. The over/under is set at 51 points, while the Rams are +145 on the moneyline ($100 bet wins $145).
The spread hasn’t moved much since the line opened in May when the schedule was released. At that time, the Rams were 3-point underdogs.
Moneyline (ML)
- Rams +145 (bet $100 to win $145)
- Lions -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS)
- Rams +3.5 (-115)
- Lions -3.5 (-105)
Over/Under (O/U)
- 51 (O: -110 U: -110)
The Rams have a good chance to win this game outright, especially if Rob Havenstein is able to play and start at right tackle. Yes, they’ll be missing Alaric Jackson on the left side, but Joe Noteboom is a capable backup tackle.
Defensively, both teams improved but on paper, the Rams’ secondary should be much better than it was last season. Darious Williams and Tre’Davious White step in as the starting cornerbacks, with Kamren Curl arriving as one of the starters at safety.
As talented as the Lions are on both sides of the ball, the Rams shouldn’t be counted out in this road matchup to open the year. The odds show that when you consider the home team is typically given a three-point edge by default.
Oddsmakers view this as a fairly even tilt between the Rams and Lions.