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This Sunday is something of a monumental moment on a small scale. The Lions will face a team they haven't faced in 25 years: the Los Angeles Rams. At one point in time, this was quite the rivalry. These two teams have played each other 84 times over the last 79 years. Let's go way back and learned how it all started.
Way back
September 9, 1937 is where the time machine stops. Week 1 of the 1937 season, Chuck Bennett and the Lions took on Bob Snyder and the Cleveland Rams at Cleveland Stadium. The Lions would get the shutout that day with a 28-0 win. Since then, the Lions are 40-43-1 all time against the Rams.
Breaking it down
The Rams just can't seem to stay put. They started out in Cleveland, then went to Los Angeles, then St. Louis and now back to Los Angeles. How does that break down? Here you go.
| Team | Cleveland | Los Angeles | St. Louis |
| Lions record Vs | 5-3 | 31-36-1 | 4-4 |
That's not awful, The Lions have pretty much hung with the Rams no matter where they lived throughout the years. But it's at home in Detroit where the Lions have proven to thrive. When hosting any variation of the Rams in Detroit, the Lions hold the lead at 21-20 all time. This includes wins in the last two meetings and the win the last time the LA Rams came to town in 1991.
Rookie
When you play a team 84 times, you're bound to welcome a rookie quarterback into town a time or two. With the possibility that the Rams may have to bring in the backup off the bench, the Lions may welcome another rookie quarterback to town in Jared Goff. This would represent the seventh time such a thing has happened. The Lions are 3-3 against the Rams when Los Angeles brings a rookie under center.
| Year | Player | Score | Win/Loss |
| 1939 | Parker Hall | 15-7 | Win |
| 1944 | Albert Reiz | 20-17 | Loss |
| 1945 | Bob Waterfield | 28-21 | Loss |
| 1964 | Bill Munson | 31-17 | Win |
| 1976 | Pat Haden | 20-17 | Loss |
| 2010 | Sam Bradford | 44-6 | Win |
First time since the last time
As I mentioned earlier, this is the first time the Lions have welcomed the Los Angeles Rams to town since 1991. In that game, Erik Kramer went to town on the Rams defense with three passing touchdowns. They even managed to pick off Chris Everett.
Sorry I meant Jim Everett, relax. Elsewhere, Barry Sanders had a pedestrian day with 57 yards on 26 attempts and Robert Clark caught two touchdowns. The Lions picked up the 21-10 win. Wouldn't be nice to see the Lions play a game similar to this on Sunday?
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