How the 2024 Rams are different than team Lions beat in last year's playoffs
Allen Park — In the most anticipated Detroit Lions game in Ford Field history, the home team fended off a stiff challenge from the visiting Los Angeles Rams last January, narrowly escaping to earn the franchise’s first playoff victory in more than three decades.
Beyond the historical significance, the contest centered around the quarterback matchup — two men who were traded for each other ahead of the 2021 season.
It marked Matthew Stafford’s first trip to Detroit after the former No. 1 pick asked to be traded, reluctant to participate in another rebuild. It also marked the city’s wrapping of its arms around his replacement, Jared Goff, highlighted by the fervorous crowd chanting his name throughout the night, starting when both QBs came out of the tunnel for warmups.
To open the 2024 season, the Rams return to Ford Field for one of the league’s featured matchups, a primetime tilt on Sunday night. But these Rams aren’t those Rams. NFL rosters and coaching staffs tend to change in a hurry and there’s plenty different about this incarnation of the opponent.
Let’s take a look at what’s new as the week of preparation begins for both squads.