Toughest home and road opponents on LA Rams schedule in 2024

Tough Road Opponent I: Detroit Lions

The fate of the LA Rams will be tied to that of the Detroit Lions for many years to come. It is the fate of any pair of NFL teams that swap starting quarterbacks, and now that the Lions have ascended to the ranks of an NFL Playoff team, that rivalry between the two organizations will only intensify.

The Lions are a good team, a gritty fight-you-to-the-final-whistle category of opponent that boasts several former Rams players. And so, this has become a bit of a melancholy rivalry for me, and perhaps for others. You see, I don't root against the Lions when they do not face the Rams, which is a prerequisite in my mind for a true NFL heated rivalry. But the fans reactions on social media after the Lions defeated the LA Rams in the Wild Card Round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs was a bit disappointing.

Even Lions fans who booed the children of Matthew and Kelly Stafford, children who were welcome there openly as recently as the 2020 NFL season, crossed the line in my opinion. Boo players if you must, but don't throw shade or vitriol at the children who are simply there to enjoy the game, for crying out loud.

The Rams return to Detroit in 2024 in what will undoubtedly be billed as a rematch or revenge game or sequel to drive up television ratings. But more importantly on the football field, veteran QB Matthew Stafford and the entire Rams roster will be a bit less humble and polite, and a bit more business-like in how they approach this game.

The Lions may have won the Wild Card Round game in the 2024 NFL Playoffs, but don't expect the Rams to forget how ruthlessly the Lions fans treated Matthew Stafford's daughters. Or how recklessly Lions safety Kerby Joseph hit tight end Tyler Higbee at a bad angle on his knee, causing Higbee to suffer an ACL injury. The Rams may not be able to exact revenge in 2024, but this is no longer a warm homecoming for the Staffords.

There is unfinished business between the Detroit Lions and the LA Rams. This is not one that will end with smiles and warm pats on the back.

I assure you that Rams players have that game already circled on the 2024 Rams schedule. And revenge is definitely on their minds.