Detroit Lions Jared Goff on Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery
Jared Goff praised Detroit Lions running backs Jahmyr Gibbs ad David Montgomery after a 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.
Looking at the NFC playoff picture, you could say the Detroit Lions have nothing but must-win games for the rest of the season.
The Lions (8-5, third in NFC North) are taking on the Los Angeles Rams (10-3, first in NFC West) on Sunday, Dec. 14, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The game will kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox and streamed on Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
The game has massive NFC playoff implications with the Rams currently the conference’s No. 1 seed and the Lions just outside the playoff picture with the No. 8 seed. A Lions win could upend the picture, however, and give Detroit a potentially crucial tiebreaker over the Rams should they be competing for a wild-card spot at the end of the season.
The Lions are coming off a 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Dec. 4, a win that boosted Detroit’s playoff odds to 54% per NFL’s Next Gen Stats. However, those odds have fallen slightly following the results of Week 14’s games, with the Lions still controlling their playoff destiny but needing to win out to guarantee a postseason spot.
The Rams, meanwhile, are looking like one of the best teams in the NFL, with the best odds to win the Super Bowl (16%) according to The Athletic. The Lions odds to win the Super Bowl are at 1% per the same metric.
Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s Rams-Lions game, including an early game score prediction.
Lions vs Rams prediction in Week 15
Though they would much prefer to win all their remaining games, the Lions can likely lose one game and still have a shot at the playoffs. But even though this is the game Detroit is most likely to lose of its last four, its not the game it wants to lose.
The Rams are currently the No. 1 seed in the conference and are possibly the best team in the NFL, but they’re also locked in the league’s most competitive division, with the 10-3 Seattle Seahawks and 9-4 San Francisco 49ers both knocking on their door. There’s a small chance the Rams will be fighting for a wild-card spot by Week 18, and if that’s the case, Detroit will want the tiebreaker that comes with beating the Rams this Sunday.
That won’t be easy for the Lions, though. The Rams are the only team in the NFL with a top-5 defense by points per game allowed (17.5, third) and a top-5 offense in points scored (29.2, fourth). And with the Lions so banged-up on defense, especially with safety Brian Branch out for the rest of the season, all signs point to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the ex-Lion, and the NFL’s No. 2 receiver Puka Nacua shredding Detroit’s secondary in LA.
If there’s some hope for the Lions, it’s that the Rams will be playing in possibly the biggest game of the regular season just four days later in a Week 16 matchup at the Seattle Seahawks. That might mean the Rams treat their home game against the Lions with a touch less focus than they should, giving Detroit a chance to pounce early.
But don’t count on that. The Rams will take advantage of the Lions’ weakest area and should make easy work of Detroit’s defense, even if the Lions offense is prepared for a shootout. The pick: Rams 34, Lions 27.
Lions vs Rams game channelDate:Â Sunday, Dec. 14.Kickoff:Â 4:25 p.m. ET.TV channel:Â Fox.Location:Â SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.Lions vs Rams odds
The Rams are strong favorites against the Lions heading into their Week 15 matchup.
Spread: Rams by 5½ points.Over/under: 55 points.Moneyline: Lions (+200), Rams (-250).
Odds are courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday afternoon.
Lions playoff odds
The Lions are in the No. 8 seed in the NFC and currently have a 53% chance to make the playoffs per NFL Next Gen Stats, down from 54% immediately following their win against the Cowboys. The simplest path for the Lions to make the playoffs is to win their final four games, which would guarantee them a playoff spot over the Chicago Bears (who are currently in the No. 7 spot).
Lions schedule 2025Week 1: L, 27-13 at Green Bay Packers.Week 2: W, 52-21 vs. Chicago Bears.Week 3: W, 38-30 at Baltimore Ravens.Week 4: W, 34-10 vs. Cleveland Browns.Week 5: W, 37-24 at Cincinnati Bengals.Week 6: L, 30-17 at Kansas City Chiefs.Week 7: W, 24-9 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Week 8: Bye week.Week 9: L, 27-24 vs. Minnesota Vikings.Week 10: W, 44-22 at Washington Commanders.Week 11: L, 16-9 at Philadelphia Eagles.Week 12: W, 34-27 (OT) vs. New York Giants.Week 13: L, 31-24 vs. Green Bay Packers.Week 14: W, 44-30 vs. Dallas Cowboys.Week 15, Sunday, Dec. 14: at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m., Fox.Week 16, Sunday, Dec. 21: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 4:25 p.m., CBS.Week 17, Thursday, Dec. 25: at Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 p.m., Netflix.Week 18, Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 3-4: at Chicago Bears, TBD.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.