Final2023 NFC Wild Card

Ford Field, Detroit, MI

Los Angeles Rams vs Detroit Lions, Wild Card 2023

Los Angeles Rams

Away

23

Detroit Lions

HomeWon, advanced

24

Scoring by quarter
TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Final
Rams3143323
Lions1473024

LAR 23DET 24 Final

  • Passing leader

    Matthew Stafford

    LAR · QB

    22.7PPR pts

    25/36, 367 YDS, 2 TD

  • Top fantasy scorer

    Puka Nacua

    LAR · WR

    32.9PPR pts

    9 REC, 181 YDS, 1 TD

  • Rams leader

    Tutu Atwell

    LAR · WR

    10.8PPR pts

    1 REC, 38 YDS, 1 TD

  • Defensive playmaker

    Ernest Jones IV

    LAR

    2 SACK, 9 TKL

Lions 24, Rams 23: Detroit holds off Los Angeles in the 2023 Wild Card

Detroit led 21–17 at halftime and won 24–23, though Los Angeles took the second half 6–3. Los Angeles outgained the Lions 425–334.

The Rams went 3-for-9 on third down, while the Lions finished without a giveaway.

The Lions' run ended in the Conference Championship, a 34–31 loss to the 49ers.

Game Highlights

Official NFL highlights · Opens from YouTube

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Why the Lions Won

Detroit won despite losing the efficiency and time of possession battles.

Team stats comparison, Rams vs Lions
RamsStatLions
425Total yards334
7.7Yards per play6.1
55Plays55
0Turnovers0
33%Third-down conversion33%
30:05Time of possession29:55

Scoring Summary

The Lions scored three touchdowns and one field goal; the Rams scored two touchdowns and three field goals.

Scoring plays, Rams vs Lions
TimeTeamPlayLARDET
1st quarter
9:30DETDavid Montgomery 1-yard TD run Takes leadMichael Badgley XP07
4:26LARBrett Maher 24-yard FG37
1:31DETJahmyr Gibbs 10-yard TD run Extends leadMichael Badgley XP314
2nd quarter
13:24LARMatthew Stafford → Puka Nacua, 50-yard TDBrett Maher XP1014
7:12DETJared Goff → Sam LaPorta, 2-yard TD Extends leadMichael Badgley XP1021
4:02LARMatthew Stafford → Tutu Atwell, 38-yard TDBrett Maher XP1721
3rd quarter
8:41DETMichael Badgley 54-yard FG Extends lead1724
2:33LARBrett Maher 27-yard FG2024
4th quarter
8:10LARBrett Maher 29-yard FG2324

Playoff game: these points don't count in most season-long fantasy leagues.

Fantasy Points vs Expected

Expected points (xFP) are what a player's pass attempts, carries and targets are worth at the league's average rates; the difference is what the player made of them.

  • Biggest overperformer+15.6Puka Nacua32.9 PTS vs 17.3 xFP
  • Biggest underperformer−7.3Cooper Kupp7.7 PTS vs 15.0 xFP
  • Highest expected volume17.3 xFPPuka Nacua32.9 PTS scored
Usage and expected fantasy points
PlayerPTSxFPvs xFPSnap%UsageRte%Pass attCarCar%TgtTgt%
Puka NacuaLAR · WR32.917.3+15.6—29% tgt—016%1029%
Matthew StaffordLAR · QB22.715.1+7.6—36 att—3600%00%
Amon-Ra St. BrownDET · WR18.015.0+3.0—35% tgt—000%935%
Cooper KuppLAR · WR7.715.0−7.3—26% tgt—000%926%
Jared GoffDET · QB14.813.2+1.6—27 att—27312%00%
Josh ReynoldsDET · WR13.011.7+1.3—27% tgt—000%727%
Jahmyr GibbsDET · RB16.811.6+5.2—32% car—0832%415%
David MontgomeryDET · RB13.810.3+3.5—56% car—01456%14%
Demarcus RobinsonLAR · WR7.410.0−2.6—18% tgt—000%618%
Kyren WilliamsLAR · RB8.09.6−1.6—76% car—01376%13%
Ronnie RiversLAR · RB7.46.8+0.6—18% car—0318%39%
Sam LaPortaDET · TE10.45.0+5.4—12% tgt—000%312%
Davis AllenLAR · TE4.83.3+1.5—6% tgt—000%26%
Jameson WilliamsDET · WR3.93.3+0.6—8% tgt—000%28%
Ben SkowronekLAR · WR1.51.7−0.2—3% tgt—000%13%
Tutu AtwellLAR · WR10.81.7+9.1—3% tgt—000%13%
Tyler HigbeeLAR · TE0.01.7−1.7—3% tgt—000%13%

Team totals: Rams 34 targets and 17 carries; Lions 26 targets and 25 carries. Shares are from the box score. Snap counts aren't available for this game. Route counts, air yards and red-zone touches appear when the tracking feed is connected. League-average rates from the 2023 season: 1.67 PPR points per target (67% catch rate), 0.61 per carry and 0.42 per pass attempt. They don't adjust for field position or target depth.

Fantasy Verdicts

Matthew Stafford Ran hot

LAR · QB · 22.7 pts on 15.1 expected

25 of 36 passing for 367 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Verdict: The opportunities were worth 15.1 points; the touchdowns supplied the rest, and they are the part least likely to repeat.

Start/Sit: Matthew Stafford →

Jared Goff

DET · QB · 14.8 pts on 13.2 expected

22 of 27 passing for 277 yards, 1 touchdown; 3 carries for -3 yards.

Verdict: The points matched the role, 13.2 expected.

Start/Sit: Jared Goff →

Puka Nacua Ran hot

LAR · WR · 32.9 pts on 17.3 expected

10 targets (29% of the team's), 9 catches for 181 yards and 1 touchdown; 1 carry (6% of the team's) for -2 yards.

Verdict: The opportunities were worth 17.3 points; the touchdowns supplied the rest, and they are the part least likely to repeat.

Start/Sit: Puka Nacua →

Cooper Kupp Unlucky

LAR · WR · 7.7 pts on 15.0 expected

9 targets (26% of the team's), 5 catches for 27 yards.

Verdict: The role was there, worth 15.0 points at league-average rates; the production wasn't.

Start/Sit: Cooper Kupp →

Amon-Ra St. Brown Strong role

DET · WR · 18.0 pts on 15.0 expected

9 targets (35% of the team's), 7 catches for 110 yards.

Verdict: The points matched the role, 15.0 expected.

Start/Sit: Amon-Ra St. Brown →

Josh Reynolds

DET · WR · 13.0 pts on 11.7 expected

7 targets (27% of the team's), 5 catches for 80 yards.

Verdict: The points matched the role, 11.7 expected.

Jahmyr Gibbs Ran hot

DET · RB · 16.8 pts on 11.6 expected

4 targets (15% of the team's), 4 catches for 43 yards; 8 carries (32% of the team's) for 25 yards and 1 touchdown.

Verdict: The opportunities were worth 11.6 points; the touchdowns supplied the rest, and they are the part least likely to repeat.

Start/Sit: Jahmyr Gibbs →

Sam LaPorta Ran hot

DET · TE · 10.4 pts on 5.0 expected

3 targets (12% of the team's), 3 catches for 14 yards and 1 touchdown.

Verdict: The opportunities were worth 5.0 points; the touchdowns supplied the rest, and they are the part least likely to repeat.

Start/Sit: Sam LaPorta →

Fantasy Matchups

Fantasy points allowed per game by position, 2023 through Week 18.

Fantasy points allowed per game by position, Rams defense and Lions defense
Points allowed toRams DLions D
QBs18.919.4
RBs16.014.6
WRs34.539.7
TEs13.213.4

Regular season, summed from each game's box score and scored with this page's rules.

How the Game Swung

Detroit opened at 50% win probability and passed 98% in overtime on the way to the win.

Lions win probability

Lions win probability by game minuteLions started at 50%, stood at 66% at halftime and finished at 100%, across 9 scoring plays.Q1Q2Q3Q4100%50%0%

Key Swings

  1. +21Montgomery 1-yd TD run50% → 71%Q1 9:30
  2. +19Gibbs 10-yd TD run63% → 82%Q1 1:31
  3. +20Goff → LaPorta, 2-yd TD65% → 85%Q2 7:12
  4. −21Stafford → Atwell, 38-yd TD86% → 65%Q2 4:02
  5. −21Maher 29-yd FG79% → 58%Q4 8:10

Swing in Lions win probability, in points

Play Calling and Possessions

Play calling, Rams vs Lions
Los Angeles RamsMeasureDetroit Lions
55Plays55
69%Pass rate55%
9.4Yds / dropback8.5
4.0Yds / carry3.2
3/9Third downs3/9
  • Top targets
  • LAR Nacua 29% · Kupp 26% · Robinson 18%
  • DET Brown 35% · Reynolds 27% · Gibbs 15%

Possession Results

How each possession ended, Rams vs Lions
ResultLARDET
Touchdowns23
Field goals31
Punts23
Turnovers00
  • The Lions opened the scoring on their first possession, a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a touchdown.
  • The Lions scored touchdowns on three of their first three drives, then drained the clock with two second-half drives of four to five minutes.
All 16 possessions, drive by drive
Drive chart
TeamStartPlaysYardsTimeResult
DETQ1 15:0010755:30Touchdown
LARQ1 9:3011695:04Field goal
DETQ1 4:265752:55Touchdown
LARQ1 1:316723:07Touchdown
DETQ2 13:2411756:12Touchdown
LARQ2 7:126753:10Touchdown
DETQ2 4:027303:03Punt
LARQ2 0:592130:59End of half
LARQ3 15:004131:43Punt
DETQ3 13:179444:36Field goal
LARQ3 8:4110666:08Field goal
DETQ3 2:334132:40Punt
LARQ4 14:5313796:43Field goal
DETQ4 8:10360:52Punt
LARQ4 7:186483:11Punt
DETQ4 4:077234:07End of game
About these numbers

Possessions that ended with the clock running out at the half or the end of the game aren't counted.

Personnel groupings, average depth of target and pass rate over expected appear when the tracking feed is connected.

Rams vs Lions Head-to-Head

The Rams and Lions first met in 1937 and have played 90 times since.

All-time series
46–43–1Rams lead, 90 meetings since 1937
Postseason
2–0Lions won in 1952 and 2023
Largest Rams win
65–241950
Largest Lions win
44–62010

Since 2021

2–2 Series tied

4 meetings since the 2021 season, regular season and playoffs.

Oldest to newest. R = Rams win, L = Lions win, outlined = this game.

Recent Meetings

Season to Date (Through Week 18)

The 2023 regular season, from each game's box score.

Season to date, Rams vs Lions
RamsStatLions
10-7Record12-5
23.8Points per game27.1
359.3Yards per game394.8
5.6Yards per play5.9
22.2Points allowed per game23.2
337.9Yards allowed per game336.1

Rams and Lions in Fantasy

The two teams don't meet again this season. If you roster a Ram or a Lion, these answer the week-to-week question.

Keep Exploring

2023 Game Logs for Players in This Game

Rams vs Lions Game FAQ

Who won the 2023 Rams vs Lions Wild Card game?

The Detroit Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams 24–23 in the Wild Card round of the 2023 playoffs. The game was played at Ford Field in Detroit, MI, on January 14, 2024. See the Lions' 2023 schedule.

What was the final score of Rams vs Lions?

The final score was Lions 24, Rams 23. The Lions led 21–17 at halftime, and the second half went Rams 6, Lions 3.

What happened in the Rams vs Lions game?

Detroit led 21–17 at halftime and won 24–23, though Los Angeles took the second half 6–3. Los Angeles outgained the Lions 425–334.

What is the all-time Rams vs Lions record?

The Rams lead the all-time series 46–43–1 across 90 meetings since 1937, including a 0–2 record in the postseason.

When did the Rams and Lions last play before this game?

Before the 2023 Wild Card round, they last met in the 2021 season on October 24, 2021, when the Rams beat the Lions 28–19.

Have the Rams and Lions met in the playoffs?

Yes, 2 times, most recently in the 2023 playoffs. The Rams are 0–2 against the Lions in the postseason.

What is the Rams vs Lions record since 2021?

The series is tied 2–2 across 4 meetings since the 2021 season, including this game.