5 Players Lions Need to Worry About against Rams
On Sunday, the Lions have a chance to win their first playoff game since the 1991 season. It won't come easy against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams’ high-powered offense, though.
Let's take a look now at five Rams players Detroit should be worried about going into its playoff game with L.A. this weekend.
WR Puka Nacua
Nacua has been one of the best stories in all of football this season. A fifth-round draft pick of the Rams last April, he's taken the league by storm with not only his great hair but also his Pro Bowl-level production.
In Los Angeles’ regular season finale against San Francisco, Nacua set the NFL rookie record for both receptions (105) and yards (1,486) in a season.
“It'll say Puka Nacua (in the record books), but I wish it could say everybody," Nacua said after his record-breaking performance Sunday, per ESPN. "All 11 guys out there, because it really takes all 11. They should all feel that award just as much as I do, because I couldn't do it without the guys in the front and obviously (quarterbacks) Matthew (Stafford) and Carson (Wentz) out there. Everybody was involved -- it was sweet to feel myself, but the enjoyment from everybody made it more sweet.”
In 2023, the first-year wideout also caught six touchdowns, and hauled in 65.6 percent of his targets from Rams signal-callers Matthew Stafford and Carson Wentz.
Undeniably, Nacua will receive a healthy dose of targets Sunday. So, it'll be interesting to see if Detroit's defensive backs group, which has been frequently exploited, is up to the task of defending the rookie phenom.
QB Matthew Stafford
The former beloved Detroit passer returns to Ford Field for the very first time in this primetime matchup Sunday.
Since being dealt to the Rams, he's won a Super Bowl, and has continued to put up solid numbers. In 2023, the 15th-year pro threw for 3,965 yards and 24 touchdowns in 15 games. He also recorded a 63.7 QBR.
They weren’t as gaudy of numbers as he's put up in the past. Yet, he still got the job done, plus led the Rams to nine wins (in his 15 starts) and a wild-card playoff berth.
Additionally, he has a chance to have a big day through the air Sunday against the Lions’ 27th-ranked pass defense.
WR Cooper Kupp
Now 30 years old, Kupp might not be the same receiver that amassed 145 receptions, 16 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards (1,947) during his All-Pro 2021 campaign. However, he's still an ultra reliable target for Stafford. He amassed 59 catches for 737 yards and five touchdowns in 12 regular season games in 2023.
He and Nacua have formed a dynamic pass-catching duo that many defenses have had a hard time stopping this season. And after seeing Detroit's secondary struggle against Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb the past few weeks, it makes me think the Lions are in store for the same fate against the aforementioned L.A. receivers.
It won't be easy, but Aaron Glenn must come up with a gameplan to curtail the production of Kupp and Nacua this weekend.
DT Aaron Donald
Just how good is Donald? Well, for starters, he's been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his 10 NFL seasons, and has never recorded a Pro Football Focus overall grade of less than 90.2.
He’s been arguably the most dominant defensive tackle since entering the league in 2014, and is a lock to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.
He might not be a double-digit sack-producer any longer – he tallied eight in the 2023 regular season. But, he's still a force to be reckoned with, plus a player that the Lions will absolutely have to be worried about Sunday.
"Aaron Donald, he'll be selective. Now, that the playoffs are here, we're about to get it all," Detroit head man Dan Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket this week. "And, the third-down stuff, the pass-rush, I mean, he's a problem. So, he's somebody we're going to have to pay attention to."
NT Kobie Turner
Just like Nacua, Turner has been a surprise rookie standout for the Rams in 2023. Turner, a third-round pick (No. 89 overall), has been a force along the interior of Los Angeles’ defensive line.
He amassed nine sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and eight tackles for loss in a full season's worth of games during the regular season. He also earned an impressive 83.8 overall grade from PFF.
Detroit's offensive line should have its hands full with both Turner and Donald Sunday. And limiting the number of times that the two of them slip in the backfield and get to Jared Goff is one of the major keys to the Lions securing the wild-card playoff victory.
