What the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams might lack in Grade-A, championship-caliber football on Sunday at Ford Field could be made up for in the area of competitive fire.
The Lions and Rams, two of the league's most downtrodden teams as the 2009 season hits Week 8, are undoubtedly looking at one another as potential sources of a much-needed victory, and figure to pull out all the stops in order to land that win.
Detroit is back on the field following a one-week hiatus that was preceded by a listless 26-0 loss to the Packers in Week 6, a setback that was the team's third straight and dropped them to 1-5 during the six-game Jim Schwartz era.
The Green Bay contest was the second of the year to be started by quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who was subbing for injured No. 1 draft pick and rookie Matthew Stafford (knee).
Culpepper was just 6-of-14 for 48 yards and an interception before exiting with a hamstring problem in the third quarter, and yielding to former Michigan State star Drew Stanton (5-of-11, 57 yards, 2 INT).
Stafford has been on the practice field this week and has a chance to play on Sunday, and Culpepper is likely to return to the primary backup role.
Less certain is the status of wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who was not practicing at mid-week as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered against the Steelers in Week 5.
The need for a win is all the more pressing for Schwartz's squad given the fact that it is the team's only home game in a span of 42 days. The Lions will embark on a difficult two-game road trip after the St. Louis contest that includes trips to Seattle (Nov. 8) and Minnesota (Nov. 15), before returning home to face Cleveland on Nov. 22nd.
The Rams, meanwhile, will be looking for something that the Lions have managed to give their own first-year head coach: a win.
St. Louis is one of three winless teams as Week 8 commences, joining the Titans and Buccaneers, and has now lost a franchise-record 17 straight games dating back to last season. The Rams, who dropped to 0-7 with a 42-6 home rout at the hands of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, are 5-34 in their last 39 games dating back to 2007.
Among the other nasty numbers for the 2009 Rams is an NFL-low figure of 8.6 points per game, which puts the team on pace to score just 137 for the year, or what would be the fewest in a 16-game season in league history. St. Louis is also one of two teams without a rushing touchdown on the year (Kansas City).
On the other side of the ball, the Rams are last in the NFL in touchdowns allowed (27), opponents' third-down conversion percentage (51.6 percent), and are tied for last in the league in rushing touchdowns allowed (11) along with the Raiders.
SERIES HISTORY
The Rams lead the all-time regular season series with the Lions, 41-37-1, including a 41-34 win when the teams met at the Edward Jones Dome in 2006. Detroit won the previous meeting, a 30-20 affair in the Motor City in 2003. St. Louis' most recent road win in the series was a 35-0 triumph in 2001 at the Pontiac Silverdome.
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