The Los Angeles Rams are not the only NFL team to receive encouraging injury information ahead of Week One.
We know the Los Angeles Rams will have to play on the road against the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football without backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and starting left lineman Alaric Jackson. Rob Havenstein, the team’s starting right tackle, is making progress and may be able to play in the road opener.
However, the LA Rams do not have a monopoly on good news from the latest injury reports.
Detroit Lions rushing back Jahmyr Gibbs, who accumulated 945 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023, has been given the green light to play for the Lions in Week 1. And his availability, paired with that of RB David Montgomery, offers the Lions an extremely effective 1-2 punch in the backfield.
Despite Montgomery and Gibbs participating in the Wild Card Round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs, the Rams limited the Lions’ ground attack to 79 yards on 25 carries. Unfortunately, the club could not stop their scoring, as David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs were about to score touchdowns on offense.
Without DT Aaron Donald, ILB Ernest Jones IV, and DE Jonah Williams on the Rams’ defense this year, the Lions are likely to rush a lot to start the season.
The Detroit Lions must consider this young Rams defense as vulnerable to a determined and effective rushing attack. And that is something that this young defense must be prepared to face and overcome throughout the season.
While the Rams matched the Lions on the ground, their secondary was far less successful. Despite being sacked three times, the Lions’ quarterback completed 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards.
While the Rams defense intends to apply a lot of pressure in this game, the main test will be the renovated secondary and whether the new defensive backs can make things harder for Goff. The Rams will face a difficult road test to begin the season.
