Sunday night's Rams-Lions showdown in Detroit represents a few things.
It's the season opener for both teams.
This was a rematch of last season's NFC Wild Card Game, in which Detroit recorded their first postseason win since the 1991 season, 24-23.
The game will feature Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who played his first 12 seasons with the Lions, and Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who played his first five seasons with the Rams.
This is also the start of a season with unusually high expectations for the Lions, one of only four teams never to have appeared in a Super Bowl and one of the favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
“It doesn't get any better than this. It doesn't get any better, really,” Lions manager Dan Campbell told reporters earlier this week. “I'm excited, my staff is excited, my players are excited, I know our fans are ready to go.”
Campbell doesn't shy away from external expectations for his team.
“It's not important to talk about it right now,” he said. “The first step is to win a district championship. That's a long way off, but now is the time to start preparing for it.”
The Lions are coming off a 12-5 season in which they won the NFC North but lost key receivers and offensive linemen, while the Rams are coming off a 10-7 season and are finding themselves playing without defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who retired at the end of last season.
“It's nice not to have to worry about him,” Campbell said. “I always had to know where he was, I always had to know where he was.”
Goff is one of seven Pro Bowlers returning for the Lions, along with first-team All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tackle Penei Sewell.
Both Detroit coordinators, offensive end Ben Johnson and defensive end Aaron Glenn, are also back despite offseason head coaching searches, meaning continuity is a big strength for the Lions this season.
One player to watch for the Lions is running back Jameel Gibbs. Gibbs injured his hamstring during practice on Aug. 12 and hasn't practiced a full session since. Gibbs told reporters this week he's “98-100 percent.” As a rookie, Gibbs was selected to the Pro Bowl after rushing for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Lions revamped their secondary with the addition of cornerbacks Carlton Davis III and Amik Robertson and drafted cornerbacks Terrion Arnold in the first round and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the second round, hoping to improve from a 19th-ranked overall defense last season that included 27th-ranked pass defense.
The Rams also face challenges on defense, not only because they have to move forward without Donald, but because defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has taken over as head coach with the Falcons. Chris Shula will take over for Morris and will be looking to develop second-year defensive lineman Coby Turner and linebacker Byron Young.
The Rams bolstered their offensive line by signing Jonah Jackson, retaining Kevin Dotson and moving Steve Avila to center, while their secondary, a weak spot in 2023, improved with the additions of Tre'Davious White, Kamren Curl and Darius Williams.
They've been strong thanks to two game-breakers in Stafford and receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
Stafford insisted this week he will embrace the tough conditions at his former club when he enters the stadium on Sunday.
“I want to hear it all,” Stafford told reporters Wednesday. “I want to smell it. I want to feel like football. That's part of football, especially when you go to away games.”
