NFL 23-24 Wild Card Prediction- Goff gets better of Stafford as Lions win shootout

Rams vs Lions is the game circled on everyone’s calendar and this primetime game should be a blast. For the 1st time since the trade, Matthew Stafford comes back to Detroit and he plays the Lions in their 1st home playoff game in over 30 years which makes this game even more intriguing. Jared Goff plays against his former coach in Sean McVay and he’ll surely be looking to prove a point to his previous team. I think we’re in for a high scoring battle and these fantastic offenses will go back and forth. 

 The Rams have been hot as of late and the offense has been great. They have so many skilled players and it makes it really hard to defend. Their running back Kyren Williams has been marvelous this season and he’ll have to play well against a good Lions run defense. The Lions run defense is ranked 2nd which means Williams will have to play with that extra juice tonight (FOX Sports defense rankings). For me, the Rams passing game is big because they could get a lot of success from that against an under average Lions secondary which ranks 27th in the league (FOX Sports defense rankings). Stafford has the luxury of 2 terrific receivers in Nacua and Kupp so it’s up to him to find them. The Lions gave up 200+ to Lamb 2 weeks ago and it’s a defense which is extremely vulnerable to the passing game. These offenses seem similar to me so the Rams defense has to stop the Lions playmakers like St. Brown and Gibbs. There is a lot of speed on Detroit’s offense and it’s a test for the linebackers to make sure they can’t get to the outside. Additionally, I want to see the Rams pressure Jared Goff and get him uncomfortable. The Lions have one of the best offensive lines and they don’t let you get past them easily. He cannot be given too much time or else he’ll find a receiver. The Rams have been playing good football and they’ll want to silence Ford Field in this Wild Card game. 

 This game is all about the Lions defense to limit the Rams offense. The secondary has given up way too many yards too receivers and they have to get better in this one. From Week 10, they have not been good against the top receiver. (All stats from Google).

The Lions have struggled and in this game they face a dual threat in Nacua and Kupp which is even more dangerous. They have a good chance of stopping the run and the majority of focus has to be on the passing game. On the offense, ball security is big and it’s a relatively young group so they can’t let the moment get too big for them. Gibbs and Montgomery could have a major role in this one and the advantage shifts to the Lions if Ben Johnson can keep the Rams defense guessing. Goff is the leader of this offense and he has to act like one in this huge game for the entire organization.

 My prediction for this game is that the Lions will win 34-31. I think this game purely comes down to Ford Field and they’ll make enough noise to get the Lions the win. I don’t think Nacua and Kupp will be stopped but I believe that the Lions offense will go wild. I’m predicting 150+ yards for Amon-Ra St. Brown and he’ll have a big game with Goff. The Lions can do so many things on offense and that’ll be enough to get a close win. You can watch this game on NBC and Peacock at 8:15 PM EST on 1/14/24 from Ford Field.

 This game should be a shootout and we’re in for an exhilarating playoff game. Will the Detroit Lions spoil Stafford’s reunion and move on to the divisional round or will the Rams stun all of Michigan and knock the NFC North champs out of the playoffs?