NFL Preview – St. Louis Rams (0-7) at Detroit Lions (1-5)
By Tony Moss, Sports Network
What the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams might lack in Grade-A, championship-caliber football on Sunday at Ford Field could be made up for in the area of competitive fire.
The Lions and Rams, two of the league’s most downtrodden teams as the 2009 season hits Week 8, are undoubtedly looking at one another as potential sources of a much-needed victory, and figure to pull out all the stops in order to land that win.
Detroit is back on the field following a one-week hiatus that was preceded by a listless 26-0 loss to the Packers in Week 6, a setback that was the team’s third straight and dropped them to 1-5 during the six-game Jim Schwartz era.
The Green Bay contest was the second of the year to be started by quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who was subbing for injured No. 1 draft pick and rookie Matthew Stafford (knee).
Culpepper was just 6-of-14 for 48 yards and an interception before exiting with a hamstring problem in the third quarter, and yielding to former Michigan State star Drew Stanton (5-of-11, 57 yards, 2 INT).
Stafford should return from his injury to face the Rams
Less certain is the status of wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who was not practicing at mid-week as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered against the Steelers in Week 5.
The need for a win is all the more pressing for Schwartz’s squad given the fact that it is the team’s only home game in a span of 42 days. The Lions will embark on a difficult two-game road trip after the St. Louis contest that includes trips to Seattle (Nov. 
and Minnesota (Nov. 15), before returning home to face Cleveland on Nov. 22nd.
The Rams, meanwhile, will be looking for something that the Lions have managed to give their own first-year head coach: a win.
St. Louis is one of three winless teams as Week 8 commences, joining the Titans and Buccaneers, and has now lost a franchise-record 17 straight games dating back to last season. The Rams, who dropped to 0-7 with a 42-6 home rout at the hands of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, are 5-34 in their last 39 games dating back to 2007.
Among the other nasty numbers for the 2009 Rams is an NFL-low figure of 8.6 points per game, which puts the team on pace to score just 137 for the year, or what would be the fewest in a 16-game season in league history. St. Louis is also one of two teams without a rushing touchdown on the year (Kansas City).
On the other side of the ball, the Rams are last in the NFL in touchdowns allowed (27), opponents’ third-down conversion percentage (51.6 percent), and are tied for last in the league in rushing touchdowns allowed (11) along with the Raiders.
SERIES HISTORY
Rams RB Steven Jackson
In addition to the regular season series, the teams have met once in the postseason, with the Lions scoring a 31-21 home win in a 1952 NFL Conference Playoff.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
There is reason to expect the Rams to be competitive in Detroit, since St. Louis is just two weeks removed from a near-miss at the Jaguars and because the Lions are unlikely to blow anyone out at this stage. Look for the Rams to have their most efficient day of the year offensively, and to make more plays than usual on the defensive side of the ball. That said, Detroit is further ahead than St. Louis in its rebuilding effort, as evidenced by its win over the Redskins in Week 3 and competitive outings against the likes of the Steelers and Bears. Scott Linehan’s offense will get moving after making some bye-week adjustments, and Gunther Cunningham’s defense will cause a couple of key St. Louis mistakes that help turn the game in the home team’s favor.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Lions 27, Rams 22
The Lions’ Schwartz and Rams’ Spagnuolo will be meeting each other, as well as their counterpart’s respective teams, for the first time as head coaches.
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