Rams vs. Lions prediction, odds, spread, injuries, trends for NFL Wild Card Weekend

The Los Angeles Rams have gone 7-1 in their last eight games and are all of a sudden one of the hottest teams entering the NFL Playoffs.

Can they keep the hot streak going into the Wild Card Round? The Rams will head to Detroit on Sunday night to face the Lions as Matthew Stafford gets the chance to face his former team.

If you want to find out my best bet for all six NFL Wild Card games, check out this week's edition of the "Road to 272 Bets".

In this article, I'm going to break down everything you need to know to bet on this game including odds, trends, and my best bet.

If you want to bet on the Rams this week and throughout the playoffs, be sure to click the link below to sign up for an account at Caesars Sportsbook. If you do, Caesars will cover your first bet up to $1,000!

Bet on the Rams at Caesars today!

Rams vs. Lions odds, spread, and total

Rams vs. Lions betting trends

• Rams are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games
• The OVER is 6-1 in the Rams' last seven games
• Rams are 1-4 ATS in their last five games vs. NFC North opponents
• Lions are 5-1 ATS in their last six games
• The OVER is 7-2 in the Lions' last nine games
• Lions are 4-1 ATS in their last five games vs. NFC opponents

Rams vs. Lions injury reports

Los Angeles Rams

• Joe Noteboom - OT - Questionable
• Tyler Higbee - TE - Questionable
• Troy Reeder - LB - Questionable
• Jordan Fuller - S - Questionable

Detroit Lions

• Brock Wright - TE - Questionable
• Jameson Williams - WR - Questionable
• Sam LaPorta - TE - Questionable
• Kalif Raymond - WR - Questionable
• James Houston - LB - IR-R

Rams vs. Lions how to watch

• Date: Sunday, January 14
• Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
• Venue: Ford Field
• How to Watch (TV): NBC
• Los Angeles Rams Record: 10-7
• Detroit Lions Record: 12-5

Rams vs. Lions key players to watch

Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford: All eyes will be on Stafford as he heads back to Detroit, who he played with for the majority of his career, with a chance to eliminate his former team. Stafford has been on fire in the second half of the season and should have a field day against the Lions weak secondary.

Detroit Lions

Jared Goff: Stafford isn't the only quarterback going against his former team. Jared Goff has a sour taste in his mouth from when the Rams traded him for Stafford a few years back. Nobody is going to want to win this game more than Goff, who has been stellar for the Lions all season.

Rams vs. Lions prediction and pick

Nothing would be more "Lions" then hosting a playoff game for the first time since 1993 only to have your old quarterback, come back to Detroit to beat you and break the hearts of every fan in Detroit.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what I think is going to happen. The Lions are stumbling into the playoffs, having a Net Yards per Play of -0.7 in their last three games. Their defense has also been bad all year. Entering the postseason, they rank 26th in opponent yards per play, which is the worst mark amongst all playoff teams.

More importantly, their secondary has been horrific. They're 30th in opponent yards per pass attempt and 25th in both opponent dropback EPA and opponent dropback success rate. That's bad news considering they now need to face a Rams air attack that features Stafford, Cooper Kupper, and Puka Nacua.

Let's also give some major props to the Rams for being the hottest team in the NFL since their BYE Week. They're 7-1 since Week 11 and in that stretch they've ranked fourth in EPA per Play, fifth in success rate, 17th in opponent EPA per play, and 10th in opponent success rate.

If there is one wild card team that we could all see going on a run to the Super Bowl, it has to be the Rams, who their only loss during this hot streak was an overtime loss to arguably the best team in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens.

The Lions have a lot of things going well for them and winning the NFC North was huge step in the right direction for them, but they're about to face a red-hot team that is a stylistic nightmare for their defense.

Keep your points, I'll take the Rams to win outright.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!