Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Rams

Lions at Rams

▶ Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

▶ TV/radio: FOX/97.1 FM

▶ Line: Rams by 5½

▶ Records: Lions are 8-5; Rams are 10-3

▶ Series: Rams lead 45-43-1, including the postseason (Last meeting: Sept. 8, 2024 — (at) Lions 26, Rams 20, OT)

Richard Silva of The Detroit News breaks down the Lions’ Week 15 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

Key matchup

DETROIT OFFENSIVE LINE VS. LOS ANGELES PASS RUSH

There are 44 defenders in the NFL who have produced at least 35 quarterback pressures this season, according to Next Gen Stats. The Rams, along with the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, are one of only three teams to roster at least three of those players, in defensive linemen Jared Verse (53 pressures), Byron Young (42) and Kobie Turner (36).

Verse (six sacks), Young (11) and Turner (4½) have combined for 21½ sacks. There are only five other trios — on the Cleveland Browns (29½), Broncos (26), Green Bay Packers (24), Houston Texans (24) and Detroit Lions (22½) — with more. Then there’s Braden Fiske, who has two sacks and 32 pressures, including 10 quick pressures, which are pressures that arrive in less than three seconds. Verse has 15 quick pressures. Young and Turner have 13 and eight, respectively.

Bottom line: The Lions will have their hands full trying to protect Jared Goff. The quarterback has the second-best passer rating in the NFL when kept clean, per Pro Football Focus, at 127.7. When under pressure, that passer rating falls to 63.0, which ranks 26th. If the contest turns into be a high-scoring race, making sure Goff has time to throw will be critical.

Rams to watch

▶ Matthew Stafford, quarterback: An old friend is having a standout year. Stafford, in his fifth season with the Rams, is the favorite to win MVP. He’s completed 66.7% of his passes (12th among qualified quarterbacks) for 3,354 yards (fourth), 35 touchdowns (first) and four interceptions. He’s currently putting up career-high numbers in touchdown rate (8.1%), interception rate (0.9%), success rate (55%) and passer rating (113.1).

▶ Puka Nacua, receiver: One of the best receivers in the NFL, Nacua is elite both with the ball in his hands — he has 439 yards after the catch, behind only Buffalo’s Khalil Shakir (469) and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase (466) — and in traffic; his catch rate on contested opportunities (79.3%) is third-highest for all players who’ve had at least 10 tries, trailing Buffalo’s Brandin Cooks (90%) and New England’s Stefon Diggs (80%). Among those with 20 or more contested opportunities, Nacua is one of two players with a rate better than 60%.

▶ Davante Adams, receiver: No pass-catcher is finding the end zone more than Adams, who leads the league with 14 receiving touchdowns in 13 games. Twelve of those scores have come within the red zone, including nine from inside the 5-yard line. Adams, 32, has the most receiving touchdowns for any active player (117), and he ranks seventh all time, within 15 of Cris Carter (130), Marvin Harrison (128) and Larry Fitzgerald (121).

Facts and figures

▶ The Rams have the NFL’s second-best defense in the red zone this season, allowing opponents to score on 42.5% of their drives inside the 20-yard line. When playing defense in the red zone, the Rams rank in the top three for yards per play (2.3), expected points added per play (-0.24) and pressure rate (49.3%), and they do it all without often sending extra pass rushers; the Rams have the fourth-lowest blitz rate (20.8%) in these situations.

▶ Running back Kyren Williams needs 49 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the third straight season. The last player on the Rams to notch three 1,000-yard rushing seasons in a row was Steven Jackson, who posted eight from 2005-12. Todd Gurley was close, but his first 1,000-yard campaign was separated from his final two by an 885-yard year in 2016.

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

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