The Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions wrap up the first NFL Sunday of the season on Sunday Night Football.
The latest: The Rams and Lions are set for a rematch of their NFC wild-card game from last season. I’m backing both offences to shine in the opener at Ford Field.
Check out my Rams vs. Lions best bet and full odds for their Week 1 matchup on Sept. 8.
Rams vs. Lions best bet
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Detroit made waves last season, finishing 12-5 and reaching the NFC championship game.
Despite a second-half collapse in the conference title game, it was a commendable season for the Lions. And the young core of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs should only improve with Jared Goff still under centre.
The Rams are no pushovers, though. They’ve gone over .500 in six of the last seven seasons, so this should be a fun game to get the Sunday Night Football season started.
Bet on offence
Best bet: Over 52.5 points (-112)
I’ll preface this bet by saying that Detroit’s Ford Field is a domed stadium and both quarterbacks strive in that type of environment.
Jared Goff had an 11-3 record and threw for 277 yards per game when playing indoors last season. He compiled a 69.8% completion rate, 28 TD passes, eight interceptions and a 106.4 QB rating.
His counterpart and former Lion, Matthew Stafford, completed 25-of-36 pass attempts for 367 yards, two TDs and no picks in the NFC wild-card contest in Detroit last year.
The game stayed under this number, but that was the playoffs. I’m expecting a more free-flowing offensive approach from both sides on Sunday. The Rams also lost Aaron Donald, a generational defensive talent, to retirement.
Both teams fielded a bottom-half scoring defence last season, with the Lions allowing the eighth-most points per game (23.8) with the Rams not far behind (22.3).
L.A. and Detroit’s rosters are both built around their offensive talent, so I’m backing the over in the season’s first edition of Sunday Night Football.
Key stat: The Lions allowed the second-most yards per game in the league last season (257.0).
NFL pick made at 3:05 p.m. on 09/06/24.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.