3 Lessons Lions Can Learn from L.A. Rams

I hope Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes got a chance to watch the "big game" the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams played in on Sunday.

It should've left Holmes and Detroit's front office with more than a few lessons on how to build a winning roster.

For the sake of this piece, though, let's take a look at the three lessons he and the Lions should've gleaned from the Super Bowl champion Rams.

Get a franchise quarterback

If Matthew Stafford's postseason heroics (including leading the Rams on their game-winning drive in Super Bowl LVI), along with Joe Burrow's steady play throughout the playoffs, didn't convince the Lions they need to find a franchise passer, then I don't know what will.

A franchise quarterback can make a heck of a difference -- just ask the Rams and the Bengals -- and Detroit needs to prioritize finding one starting this offseason.

Sure, the franchise signal-caller might not come in the 2022 NFL Draft, because there's a good chance that guys like Liberty's Malik Willis, North Carolina's Sam Howell and Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett are not the answer.

Yet, it doesn't take away from the importance of the Lions beginning the search for their next franchise QB during the coming offseason.

Get an elite pass rusher

The Lions need to do everything they can to get their hands on an elite pass rusher.

Fortunately, the team is picking at No. 2 overall in this April's NFL Draft, and likely will have its choice of either Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux or Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson with the pick.

A high-end defender who gets after the quarterback can make all the difference in the world, and fans and pundits aplenty saw it first-hand in Super Bowl 56.

Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald wreaked havoc against Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow all game long. He finished with two sacks, and most importantly, got in Burrow's face and caused him to throw an incompletion on Cincinnati's final offensive play of the game.

For as good as Cooper Kupp was, with scoring two touchdowns (including the game-winner), Donald came through with a performance that was more than deserving of Super Bowl MVP honors.

Now, the onus is on the Lions to acquire their version of Donald, a defender that can go out and get consistent pressure on the opposing QB and win them games in 2022 and beyond.

Get a No. 1 wideout

Speaking of Kupp, as I've said many times before at SI All Lions, the Lions need to go out and find a No. 1 receiver.

Look at the impact Kupp made on the Rams down the stretch in the Super Bowl.

After Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a non-contact injury to his left knee late in the second quarter, it basically became a two-man game between Stafford and Kupp.

And then Kupp proceeded to make all the plays that Stafford and L.A. needed on the final drive, including securing the game-winning catch.

Kupp finished with the "triple crown" for wide receivers in 2021, leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16).

He's elusive, a great route-runner and a big-play threat every time he touches the ball, basically making him the definition of a No. 1 NFL wide receiver.

Now, the Lions need to get their own Kupp, a receiver that can do all the above and serve as a perfect complement to what slot receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown does over the middle.