I seem to remember going into the corresponding fixture last year being similarly optimistic of a Lions win only to find myself scratching my head afterwards wondering how we'd managed to lose to what had to be considered one of the few weaker teams than us. But lose we did (in what turned out to be the Rams only win of the season) and one season on I am trying to temper my optimism for a first Lions win of the season by remembering how it all went wrong last year.
This years Rams arrive with a 2-2 record and a young rookie QB getting rave reviews for his performances so they deserve our respect. The Lions are off to an 0-4 start so on the face of it there shouldn't be so much optimism that this is the game the Lions will break their duck in the W column. My optimism stems from an examination of the games played so far and my belief that if the teams had played each others schedules the Rams would likely be 0-4 while the Lions would be 3-1 or even 4-0. When you throw in the fact the Lions have played three of their first four games on the road while the Rams have played three of their four at home you might start to recognise where my optimism is being fuelled.
The final step for demonstrating the improvement to the team that I believe Schwartz has made to the Lions is in the Win column and this game is the first real test of that improvement. The performances so far have left a feeling of what might have been as they have been, essentially, better than may have been expected while the games and results have been close enough to allow for the belief that the Lions had legitimate shots at winning each. There is, apparently, widespread belief among the playing staff that so far this season they have beat themselves, been unfortunate with officials call and played close games on the road which will go the other way when they play at home. For the confidence within the team to remain high a win against the Rams is vital as it will validate their existing belief that they are better than their record has thus far indicated.
For me the key to a Lions victory will be putting in a mistake free version of this seasons performances which may be easier said than done. Linehan and Hill seem to have finally got themselves on the same page with the offensive game plan and I would expect to see the same well balanced attack they put out against the Packers. The return of Burleson offsets the likely loss of Schefler and there is every chance we get to see in this game why the Lions were so keen to snap him up when free agency opened. The biggest threat for the defense is likely to be Stephen Jackson and limiting his yardage is going to come down to the back seven bringing him down when he does break through the D-Line. Preventing him from making large single gains should mean he is restricted to having just an ok day. Further improvement from the secondary could well go towards making this a most uncomfortable day for rookie QB Sam Bradford as I'm sure Ndamukong Suh is desperate to renew a Big 12 rivalry with the Oklahoma alum. Special Teams showed up big in the Packers game and I'm hoping, if faced with a similar situation to last week, that Schwartz shows more faith in Hanson's ability to kick the big ones.
I've reached the end of this preview and not managed to talk myself out of the belief that this will be the Lions first victory of the season so it's time to pour out a cold beer and get ready for the game.
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