The Detroit Lions host the St. Louis Rams at 1 p.m. Sunday to open their 2012 NFL season. The Lions are looking to build on a 2011 season, which saw them make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
The Lions saw big improvements on both sides of the ball with an offense led by Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson and a defense anchored by Ndamukong Suh. The Rams and new head coach Jeff Fisher are hoping to emulate the Lions with a quick turnaround of their own this season. Under Fisher, the Rams hope to turn around a 2-14 2011 season behind quarterback Sam Bradford and a improved defense.
The Rams' secondary should be improved with the additions of Cortland Finnegan and rookie Janoris Jenkins, but they will still have problems with the Lions' dangerous passing attack that ranked fourth in yards in 2011.
Final score prediction: Lions 27, Rams 16
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