Mike Valenti Sounds Alarm, Believes Rams Beat Lions
Get your popcorn ready.
On Sunday night, the Detroit Lions are set to host Matthew Stafford and the L.A. Rams in the first ever playoff game at Ford Field.
The Stafford-led Rams enter the wild-card postseason contest with a 10-7 mark and winners of seven of their last eight games.
With how well the Rams have been playing, doubt has already begun to creep into the minds of Lions fans about the team's ability to win its first playoff game since the 1991 season.
Mike Valenti, the host of the popular 97.1 The Ticket drivetime show, "The Valenti Show with Rico," has joined the growing list of doubters.
“I don’t want to do what I’m about to do, but honesty is the name of the game on this show," Valenti said. "I have to be honest. Rico, I’m sounding the alarms. This is when the bombs started flying over London, and the sirens are going. I am sounding the alarm. I think we’re losing to the Rams. I can’t believe I just uttered that.
“Now that we turn our attention to the weekend, none of this has to do with "S.O.L," none of it. It all has to do with what’s right in front of us. I can lay out some reasons why I feel this way, and one of the biggest ones is if Sam LaPorta doesn’t play. A huge hit to this team. But, the other factors are all football related. None of it is fear or PTSD or using this team’s past, no. I will give you football reasons (for) why I am terrified of the game this weekend.”
Earlier this week, Lions head man Dan Campbell gave rookie tight end Sam LaPorta an "outside shot" of playing in Sunday's playoff opener. LaPorta, who was named last week to the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, suffered a knee injury in Detroit's regular season finale against the Vikings.
On his show Wednesday, Valenti provided his listeners with several legitimate reasons as to why the Lions could be defeated in front of their home fans Sunday.
"You want the football reasons? I’ll give them to you. One, this team has next-to-no playoff experience. None," Valenti exclaimed. "And, not only is it a playoff game, but it’s at home and it’s in primetime. The bright lights. You know who agrees with that take? T.J. Lang. It’s a thing. It matters. You take the field for the first time in the playoffs, and you’re at home and it’s gonna be raucous. There’s a big propensity that the team could come out very tight.
“Two, can’t lose the image of that smooshed, little-face Nick Mullens throwing for 800 yards in two weeks. This defense, against good quarterbacks, gets shredded, true or false? Do you have a great pass rush? Don’t do the alternative facts thing.”
Valenti lamented that the potential loss of LaPorta could have a detrimental impact on Jared Goff and Detroit's passing game this weekend.
“Then, I go to the other side of the coin, and I go, if Sam LaPorta is not here and we still don’t know Jamo’s status. I look at this and I go, ‘What is my plan all of a sudden now, if I don’t have (LaPorta)?’ And look, a lot of this is my respect for LaPorta. I think he’s one of the three best tight ends in the sport. I’m taking away almost 100 catches and 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. And, who’s my backup tight end? No one knows," Valenti expressed. "These are all football reasons. That’s before we get to, if you’re so sweet, why are you just a three-point favorite?
“Look, Amon-Ra’s a superstar. But, Sam LaPorta is the guy that Jared Goff really leans on. Really. And you don’t have any replacement at all. In fact, you’re going into this game where you may not see a tight end targeted a single time. Brock Wright is banged up, no one knows who (James) Mitchell even is. Like, guys, I’m sounding the alarm, and I want to have a real conversation, as we essentially kick off the week.”
Rico Beard, Valenti's co-host on the afternoon talk show, also believes the Lions are in danger of losing to the Rams.
“My football reason, the fact that you’ve got Cooper Kupp coming in here, Puka Nacua. You’ve given up 600 yards to a wide receiver in the last three games. (Justin) Jefferson had four of those, and CeeDee Lamb had the other two. You couldn’t stop either one of those guys," Beard commented. "They’re coming in here with two receivers. Kupp’s always open for some reason and Puka, oh my goodness. As much as you sit here and look at Sam LaPorta, that’s how they feel about Puka. This guy’s a gamer. He wasn’t just a one-hit wonder, he gets it done. This secondary is getting torched. That’s my biggest concern.”
Kickoff for the Lions' primetime playoff tilt with Los Angeles is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Sunday. Ann Arbor resident Mike Tirico and former Bengals receiver Cris Collinsworth, NBC Sports' lead NFL broadcast crew, will be on the call for the game.
