Lions-Rams: Statement Game for Detroit?

(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Detroit's upcoming game against the St. Louis Rams is perhaps one of the most important ones on the schedule so far.

The Rams are currently mired in a 17-game losing streak. If you are the Detroit Lions, you want to do everything in your power to make sure that streak continues.

This is indeed a "must win" game for Detroit.

I've given up on attempting any type of analysis of games since most of the time, I'm usually wrong. But I'm just guessing this might be a shootout.

Football Outsiders' web site ranks the Lions last in team efficiency and team defense and 30th in team offense, while St. Louis ranks 28th in team efficiency, 29th in team efficiency, and 27th in team offense. Should be a barn burner, eh?

If Detroit can prevent Steven Jackson from having a big game, the Lions will force St. Louis to beat them with the passing game (either Marc Bulger or Kyle Boller), ranked 27th in the league. But going up against the 30th-ranked passing defense, perhaps St. Louis isn't going to be too worried.

Detroit needs to win this game for a couple of reasons:

1. To prove to the rest of the league and their fans they can beat the teams they are supposed to beat. St. Louis is on a downturn, and despite the Lions being ranked lower than St. Louis in most categories, they should be favored to win. Outside of running back, Detroit has better talent overall than St. Louis.

2. To prove the win over the Redskins wasn't a fluke. It still irks me the way many fans reacted to the win over the Redskins—that it wasn't valid because we didn't beat one of the "elite" teams. News flash: Up until that game, we hadn't beaten anyone since Dec. 23, 2007, a rousing 25-20 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Regardless of who starts at quarterback for the Lions, they have to get the ball to the big guy, Calvin Johnson. He is the playmaker of this team, and despite being the top receiver on the team, he's been relatively quiet with 22 catches for 325 yards but only one touchdown.

I look for Calvin to have a big day...and a 41-37 win over the Rams.

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