5 takeaways from Lions’ 41-34 loss against Rams

In their fourth matchup since the 2021 trade, the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams faced off in another close game. Detroit took the lead first, and while they were up 24-17 at the half, their adjustments made in the second half hurt the team. In the second half, the offense scored only 10 points, while the defense allowed 24 points. The Lions couldn’t overcome the Rams’ high-powered offense in the end as they lost 41-34.

Every game from here on out is a must-win game for the Lions. No more mistakes, and the team can’t do anything wrong in the next month. Before we look forward, here are my five takeaways from the loss to the Rams.

Hutchinson finally makes some big plays

For weeks, Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson hasn’t had the type of impact that Lions fans come to expect. He gets pressure on the quarterback, but he’s been low on the sack total and struggling in filling his gaps on run defense. His best game this year was against the Baltimore Ravens, where he took over and made some key stops when the team needed them. Against the Rams, the Lions needed a stop after missing a field goal on their opening drive, and the Rams were moving down the field with ease.

As soon as it appeared that this game might be a long day for the Lions’ defense, Hutchinson read the play and picked off Stafford, returning it 58 yards to put the Lions in the red zone.

Detroit scored on the following play to take the lead 7-0, but Hutchinson wasn’t done yet. He continued to be a problem for LA, finishing with three tackles and a big sack in the second quarter to force the Rams to punt for the first time all game. Hutchinson continued to pressure Stafford all game long and forced a few incomplete passes, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end.

Miles Frazier must replace Trystan Colon if Christian Mahogany doesn’t return next week

Last week, we saw the return of the infamous guard rotation at the left side as starting guard Kayode Awosika missed the game due to an ankle injury. It was between Trystan Colon and rookie Miles Frazier, and I believed Frazier had the better performance.

Colon got the start again against the Rams, and unlike last week, it seems the rotation between him and Frazier wasn’t as frequent, with Colon getting the majority of the snaps. Seeing more time on the field, it wasn’t a good day at the office for Colon. He was beaten on the inside frequently, struggling to run to the outside on pull plays, and Frazier appeared to do a better job once again.

If left guard Christian Mahogany can return next week for the Lions, the offensive line will see an upgrade overall. If he still needs another week, I want Frazier to get the start and get more snaps than Colon. Colon just doesn’t seem to have the juice the team needs in that left guard spot, and his performance today was forgettable.

4th down defense can’t finish

In a game where the Lions needed to make a stop on defense to force a punt, it was a rare thing to see. Detroit was actually great on third down, holding the Rams to 2-of-9 conversions. But when the Rams faced fourth down, on the other hand, they were aggressive, converting on all three attempts.

It’s deflating to force so many fourth downs, but not be able to get off the field. Detroit still held the Rams to two field goals and three punts. The defense did all it could, but it still was far from enough. If they could’ve made a few more plays here or there, this game could’ve gone in their favor.

Amon-Ra is back to himself

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is back to his old ways again. He had a good game against the Dallas Cowboys last week, but the Rams game was his best of the season. St. Brown had a rough patch in the middle of the season, dropping passes and not being on the same page with quarterback Jared Goff. I criticized St. Brown for those drops, as it became a weekly issue of him making mistakes he never used to make.

Whatever was going on with St. Brown earlier this season is now in the past, with St. Brown playing like the top-five wide receiver he is. He finished with a season-high 163 yards on 13 catches, finding the end zone twice. When St. Brown is at his best, it opens up the game for everyone else. Jameson Williams saw some big plays because of it, but the running game with Jahmy Gibbs didn’t execute when they were given the chances.

Secondary had a rough day

When the Lions lost safety Brian Branch last week, their only hope for an upgrade in the secondary was to see safety Kerby Joseph return. Joseph suffered a setback in his return and was ruled out later in the week, forcing safeties Daniel Thomas and Erick Hallett to fill in with veteran Avonte Maddox. The Rams targeted the safeties often, and the great duo of wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams was too much for the Lions’ secondary. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns, as Nacua caught nine passes for 181 yards.

Cornerback Amik Robertson struggled early in the game, but rebounded with a few pass deflections. D.J. Reed had a game to forget as he was constantly a step behind whoever he was assigned to cover. When it came to getting a turnover, Hutchinson was the only player on the defense who made a play through the air.

The secondary is down a starting corner and both safeties, but they played like they had no experienced starters. This game was expected to be high scoring but Detroit didn’t have answers for what the Rams were doing. It wasn’t always the wide receivers, either, as Rams tight end Colby Parkinson got 75 yards on five catches, finding the end zone twice.