There are several similarities between the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams, and none of them are good. To start, both clubs entered the year with playoff aspirations and are instead sitting at 4-8 as the final quarter of the season is about to begin. For the Lions, it's been a demoralizing follow-up to a playoff campaign. For the Rams, it's been more of the same.
Lions vs. Rams 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Both Jeff Fisher and Jim Caldwell are fighting for their coaching lives.
The Rams started the season 4-3 and appeared to be ready to make a playoff push for the first time in Jeff Fisher’s fourth year as head coach. But they’ve lost five consecutive games and now Fisher is probably fearing for his job.
St. Louis' offense has been inept all season long, ranking last in the NFL in passing yards per game and third down conversion percentage. The quarterback situation has been a mess, with Nick Foles posting a 69 passer rating in 11 starts. The only QB who's performed worse this season is Peyton Manning.
Case Keenum will start in place of Foles this week in what will be his first game action since suffering a concussion Nov. 22 against the Baltimore Ravens. Keenum took a sack late in the fourth quarter of that game and banged his head onto the turf, but inexplicably didn't leave the field. Two players later, Keenum took another sack and fumbled the ball away. Baltimore kicked the game-winning field goal on its next possession.
After a weeklong investigation, the NFL determined it won’t punish the Rams for failing to adhere to the league’s concussion protocol. The NFL Players Association is still looking into the situation.
Regardless of who’s playing quarterback, the Rams have been unable to get into a rhythm offensively. St. Louis has been outscored 58-10 over the last two weeks.
The Lions, conversely, haven’t been quite as hapless as of late. Detroit has won three of its last four games after firing its team president, general manager and appointing Jim Bob Cooter as offensive coordinator. It would’ve been four straight, too, if the Lions could defend a Hail Mary pass.
Some of the blame for Detroit's 27-23 loss to the Packers last Thursday night can fall on the officials for calling a questionable facemask penalty on defensive lineman Devin Taylor that kept the game alive, but most of it should fall on the Lions' defense for allowing a 61-yard Hail Mary. Like, who does that?
The Lions, that’s who. And now instead of finishing the season strong, head coach Jim Caldwell may be on the way out.
The one saving grace for Detroit has been the play of Matthew Stafford, who's completed 68 percent of his passes and thrown seven touchdown passes over the last two games. Calvin Johnson has come alive, too, catching 27 passes for 391 yards and four touchdowns since the start of November.
Though this game doesn’t have playoff implications, both Fisher and Caldwell will probably be coaching for their lives. These two veteran teams were expected to be gearing up for playoff runs, but are instead just playing out the string. Often times, head coaches are the first people to take the fall for a disappointing seasons of this ilk.
How to Watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
TV: Fox
Commentators: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber
Online: NFL Game Pass
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