A Hollywood script writer couldn’t have come up with a better plot than the National Football League offers this week when the Detroit Lions host the Los Angeles Rams. The only thing we need to determine is whether the creator of this saga is Stephen King or Quentin Tarantino?
Here is the set up, the Los Angeles Rams are led to the Super Bowl five years ago by a young quarterback and league leading defense. And, while the defense performs up to its high standards in Super Bowl LIII, the offense behind their young signal caller delivers one of the worst quarterback performances in Super Bowl history. The result, for that young signal caller and his Rams, was the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever, 13-3, a sixth Super Bowl win for Tom Brady and his New England Patriots, and decision time for the Rams organization.
What they decided was that their young quarterback, Jared Goff, was the reason they didn’t win the Super Bowl. The Rams determined that they needed to find a field general that could get them a Super Bowl win while their defense was still in its prime.
Before the 2021 season, the Rams made a decision to trade away their future for the present. To that end, they sent their young quarterback along with two first round draft choices, two second round draft choices and two third round draft choices to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford and a second, two third, fourth and fifth round draft choices.
The Rams were right.
Their defense was still special and their newly acquired quarterback won the Rams their first Super Bowl ever while playing in Los Angeles. They were so excited about clearing that hump, that last year they compiled the worst record ever for a defending Super Bowl champion, five wins and a dozen losses.
Why mention that?
Because the Lions had the Rams first pick in the 2023 draft and that brought runningback Jahmyr Gibbs to the Lions, the Alabama star thus joined his college teammate the Lions had drafted the prior season, wide receiver Jameson Williams. In 2021, the Lions also brought in a new coach, and like many other successful NFL head coaches, Dan Campbell had a poor record in his first year at the helm. But, his three win season handed the Lions the second over selection in the 2022 draft, a choice they used to select defensive stud Aidan Hutchinson.
In all, from the trade with the Rams, the Lions got Goff, Williams, Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Josh Paschal, Brodric Martin and Ifeatu Melifornwu.
All those draft picks have made major contributions to the Lions this year as Campbell led Detroit to their first division title since 1993.
Now, this is where it gets the Hollywood treatment.
After winning their first division title and still looking for their first postseason win since 1991, who do you think the Lions meet this week in a Wild Card game?
Right.
Matthew Stafford and his Los Angeles Rams.
So, here is the scenario: the Rams and Lions make a blockbuster trade that resulted in immediate success for the Rams, a Super Bowl victory, and was, if properly managed, going to serve the Lions in the long run.
The Lions have deftly used those draft choices, and Goff has performed this season at a level that justified his first overall selection by the Rams in the 2016 NFL Draft.
So, you get the drama. Do the Rams win again with Stafford, or have the Lions arrived and have Goff beat the team that gave up on him?
It comes down to this, who is directing this production? If Stephen King is leading this show, Stafford wins again. But, if it is led by Quentin Tarantino, a director who can make a happy Hollywood ending out of the Sharon Tate murders, the Lions get the triumph.
I’m betting on this one being a Tarantino ending.
Qoxhi Picks: Detroit Lions (-3) over Los Angeles Rams