The Detroit Lions know they need to move on from the 2023 season and focus on 2024. That won’t be easy.
Detroit starts the new season on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams, facing them again after their wild-card game in January, which the Lions won. That win was the franchise’s first playoff victory in 40 years.
It’s another night game on national TV and another matchup with Matthew Stafford, who represents the pre-Dan Campbell Lions. Stafford was booed on every play when he played against his old team, throwing for 367 yards and two touchdowns, but Detroit managed a 24-23 victory.
The Lions then beat Tampa Bay but lost a big lead against San Francisco in the NFC championship.
Now, eight months later, they’re up against the Rams again.
“It doesn’t get any better than this — it really doesn’t,” Campbell said Monday. “The hardest thing is that we’ve still got seven days to go, but I’m excited, the staff is excited and so are the players, and I know our fans are ready to roll.”
Last time, many fans showed respect for Stafford — the best quarterback in franchise history — and said they were only booing him because of the high stakes.
They thought the Rams would come to Detroit for a regular-season game, and Stafford would get a reception similar to what former Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander receives when he returns to Comerica Park.
That’s probably not going to happen on Sunday night in Week 1; he’s still the player they need to stop.
Rams coach Sean McVay “changed a bit of how they traditionally played last year — they have a little bit more of a downhill approach,” said Campbell, who is starting his fourth season as Lions coach.
“That got some hits on Stafford and let him do what he does best, which is a winning recipe. We absolutely need to be beefed up and ready to go up front.”
The good news for the Lions is that the Rams no longer have a Hall of Famer in the middle of their defense. Aaron Donald’s retirement at 32 ends a lot of sleepless nights for offensive coordinators.
