Notebook: Red Zone Struggles Doom Rams in Lions Loss

Despite multiple missed opportunities in the red zone, the Los Angeles Rams fell just a score short of knocking off the Detroit Lions.

Despite entering the postseason as the winners of seven of their final eight games, the Los Angeles Rams' season ended on Sunday in a 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. 

The heartbreaking loss will certainly be a sour ending to a season that was the tale of two halves. After entering their bye week 3-6 and on the verge of missing the postseason for a second consecutive season, they won seven of their next eight to finish 10-7 and earn their shot to play the Lions. 

But before the Rams turn the page on an ultimately heartbreaking defeat in an otherwise promising season, let's empty our notebook.

Rough Sledding 

Jan 14, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) runs during the second half of a 2024 NFC Wild Card game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.  / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

In years past, the run game had been a weakness for the Rams' offense, even including their Super Bowl-winning season back in 2021. However, that hadn't been the case for this Rams team, as the emergence of Kyren Williams gave them their first 1,000-yard rusher and All-Pro level back since Todd Gurley. 

Yet, their success on the ground didn't translate against a Lions defense that was specialized in taking away the run. Going into Sunday, the Lions' defense was the league's second-best run defense in yards per game, having allowed 88.8 yards. That success continued against the Rams as they held L.A. to just 68 yards on 17 carries. 

While Detroit deserves credit for stopping the Rams' run game, it is worth mentioning that Williams exited the game twice due to injury, which limited him to just 13 carries.

Red(zone) Light?

Even without a balanced offensive attack, as the Rams' run game struggled to gain ground, they still managed to outgain the Lions in total yards with 425 to 334. So what happened that prevented the Rams from moving on to the Divisional Round? 

Struggles in the red zone were the nail in the coffin for the Rams. Despite each offense only managing three trips to the red zone, the Rams didn't find the endzone on any of those drives that reached at least the Lions' 20-yard line. Meanwhile, the Lions' offense was flawless, scoring a touchdown every time. 

This is likely where the Rams felt the absence of a consistent run game the most, as even though the Lions didn't have much success on the ground either, both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs found the endzone in the red zone. 

Gun-Slinging Stafford 

Sean McVay Gives Emotional Message to Rams After Loss to Lions

At the heart of the Rams' 7-1 run to end the regular season was the strong play of their star quarterback, Matthew Stafford. 

The 35-year-old, who endured an injury-ravaged season a year ago, bounced back to playing some of his best football, and that didn't end on Sunday despite playing in front of a hostile crowd that didn't give him the reception befitting a "homecoming."

Stafford completed 25 of his 36 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns on a night where he was dealing with a hurt hand and potentially an upper-body injury that saw him briefly go into the tent in the second half. 

However, as he had done in Detroit, Stafford played through the pain and gave the Rams a chance to win.