Final score prediction for Rams vs. Lions in Week 7
After spending five years with the Los Angeles Rams and helping them make the playoffs three times, Jared Goff will face his former team for the first time since being traded to the Detroit Lions. The Rams and Lions will square off on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, which will also be Goff’s first game in that building with fans in the stands.
Of course, it marks the first time Matthew Stafford will take on his former team, too, after spending 12 years with the Lions.
It isn’t a matchup that’s expected to go well for Goff and his new team. The Rams are favored by more than two touchdowns over the Lions, which is hardly surprising given the way each team has played this season.
The Rams are 5-1 and have three wins by double digits, crushing the Bears, Bucs and Giants. They also beat the Colts and Seahawks, with their only loss coming to the Cardinals. The Lions, on the other hand, are 0-6 and aside from their two last-second losses to the Ravens and Vikings, they’ve struggled to stay competitive.
It’s hard to imagine this game being much different.
The Rams have the edge in every area of the game. They boast the better quarterback, running game, offensive line, pass rush and secondary. By no means are the Rams a perfect team, but they’re far better on paper than the Lions.
And when you consider Goff will be going up against a coach who knows his game better than anyone, it doesn’t bode well for him or the Lions. Sean McVay knows Goff’s weaknesses and how to exploit them, and you can bet he spent plenty of time game planning for his former quarterback.
The only way the Rams will lose this game is if they commit too many penalties, turn the ball over a bunch of times and surrender sacks on third down. But they’re one of the least penalized teams in the NFL, have only allowed six sacks and Stafford has thrown just four interceptions.
The Rams play a style of football that forces their opponents to beat them. They almost never beat themselves and even when they get off to slow starts, they find a groove where they almost seem unbeatable.
We’ll get another reminder of that on Sunday against the Lions. Detroit might stay in the game for a quarter, but the Rams will pull away in the second and third quarters before coasting to a double-digit win down the stretch. If they’re as good as we think they are, the Rams won’t have any trouble against the winless Lions.
Final score prediction: Rams 31, Lions 17
