Rams lost to the Lions before the game even began
The kickoff hadn't even happened yet, and the Los Angeles Rams did the one thing they couldn't do when facing the Detroit Lions.Upon winning the coin toss right before Sunday night's Wild Card round tilt in Ford Field, the Rams opted to defer to the second half, giving the Lions the ball first like they […]
The kickoff hadn't even happened yet, and the Los Angeles Rams did the one thing they couldn't do when facing the Detroit Lions.
Upon winning the coin toss right before Sunday night's Wild Card round tilt in Ford Field, the Rams opted to defer to the second half, giving the Lions the ball first like they were Anthony Mackie facing Eminem in a rap battle.
And just like in 8 Mile, the 313 cooked on its way to a 24-23 victory.
Detroit took the ball first and drove down the field on 10 plays for an opening drive touchdown in exactly five minutes and 30 seconds. Former Rams quarterback Jared Goff was crisp and decisive, and running back David Montgomery hammered in a one-year run into the end zone for the game's first score.
Why was this so detrimental? The Lions had the first possession of the game seven times during the regular season. They won all seven games. They were 5-5 in games when they were on defense first.
Once the Rams were down 7-0, they stayed behind for the entire night. Down 11 points at two different stretches in the game, they fought hard in the second half to diminish the deficit to one point, but red zone futility ultimately did them in.
A crucial holding penalty on right tackle Rob Havenstein pushed them out of field goal range to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Lions would then bleed the clock in the final drive as the Rams were down to just one timeout.
Had the ball been given to former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford first, the Rams could've set the tone for the night and put the pressure on Goff, which is how the former first-overall pick can be historically beaten.
Instead, Goff and Co. took it to the Rams and played ahead for nearly 55 minutes. It's a recipe for success in January, and a season-ending learnt the hard way for Los Angeles.
