3TFO: Rams @ Lions, Week 1

It’s been quite a housecleaning for the St. Louis Rams. With a new general manager, head coach and a complete overhaul of their roster, Week 1 represents the start of new, and hopefully more successful, era for the franchise. Fielding the NFL’s youngest team, the Rams will likely have trying times ahead as they work out whether their older pieces (primarily QB Sam Bradford) fit into the long-term picture for the team.

The Detroit Lions have been there and done that. Their big makeover began during the winless season of 2008, and the franchise is expecting a continued march forward after finally making the playoffs last year. Unfortunately, that progress has been hampered by an offseason full of trouble. Detroit players have littered police blotters around the nation with DUIs, assaults, and marijuana possessions. The Lions would like nothing more than to put these incidents in the rearview mirror and start playing football.

Just as these teams are chomping at the bit to get things rolling, our team here at PFF is too. So, without further ado, we delved into our treasure trove of one-of-a-kind stats to offer up three key matchups that could very well decide this game.

Lions Cornerbacks vs. Rams Wide Receivers

With Aaron Berry released in the offseason due to his legal troubles, and Chris Houston nursing an ankle injury, Detroit was desperate for help at the CB position. So they scooped up Drayton Florence from the street and are expected to insert him immediately into the starting lineup. A 10-year veteran, Florence was dropped by the Bills this spring and then picked up by the Broncos–who ate a $1.5 million signing bonus to release him during final cutdowns last week.

Take a look at our cornerback data over the past four years and you’ll see Florence’s continued slide into the lower echelons of our rankings. His -2.0 coverage grade last season wasn’t awful (44 rec, 714 yds., 6 TDs, and 103.3 QB rating) but it masks wild swings in consistency that featured more poor games than good. His -9.1 overall grade factors in his problems with run support and penalties. Florence is being given a crash course in the defense and will likely be partnered with rookie third-round pick Bill Bentley. No doubt the Lions’ NFC North foes will be watching their performance with keen interest.

The Rams will attack the Lions' new corners with a pair of WRs who are several injury-plagued seasons removed from scaring a defense. Steve Smith arrives from Philadelphia where a chronic knee injury helped limit him to 135 snaps and only 11 receptions in 2011. That’s a far cry from Smith's breakout year with the 2009 Giants (+8.9, 107 rec., 1220 yds., and 7 TD.) Danny Amendola's big season came in 2010 where he showed savvy as a slot receiver (+2.0, 85 rec., 689 yds., and 3 TD). Amendola’s 2011 season ended after an elbow injury in Week 1. Both appear to be healthy and ready to play. The Rams will need them to stay that way if they expect to get a legitimate evaluation of Bradford.

Rams Offensive Tackles vs. Lions Defensive End Rotation

The Rams’ front office certainly hasn’t done Bradford any favors in pass protection. Rodger Saffold returns at left tackle after a 10-game stint last season (-15.2 overall) that included some truly ugly meltdowns–like his four-sack, six-hurry performance against the Redskins in Week 4. On the other side, the Rams have plugged in veteran Barry Richardson (-28.6) who gave up eight sacks and 50 total pressures with the Chiefs in 2011. Our Pass Blocking Efficiency (PBE) rating allows you to compare how well linemen protect on a per-snap basis. Among starting tackles in 2011, both Richardson and Saffold ranked near the bottom of the list and were joined there by former-Jet, and now Rams backup, Wayne Hunter.

The pair should have their hands full against the Lions, who boast one of the league’s deepest defensive line rotations. Cliff Avril, Lawrence Jackson, and Willie Young all ranked among the top half of the league's 4-3 DEs in our Pass Rushing Productivity (PRP) rating. Avril will take on Richardson and, while Kyle Vanden Bosch will get the most snaps against Saffold, keep an eye out for Young–last year, only Eagles star Trent Cole was more efficient disrupting the quarterback among 4-3 DEs.

Rams Defensive Tackles vs. Lions Interior Offensive Line

Questions and concerns loom for the Rams’ interior defensive line after a spate of preseason injuries robbed them of several projected starters. Most recent was their rookie first-round pick, Michael Brockers (who earned a mixed review in our First Round Report Card) who will miss at least the first month of the season with a high ankle sprain.

Kellen Heard, claimed off waivers from the Jets last week, and free agent-signee Kendall Langford, are expected to be the Week 1 starters. Langford was up-and-down last year while playing 3-4 DE for Miami: not so great against the run (-6.8) but generating 25 QB hurries against the pass. He ranked fourth among 3-4 DEs in PRP. Heard got his first significant NFL action last season playing for the Bills. In 259 snaps he generated nine total pressures and 11 run stops.

This thin group will face a Detroit interior line that did an impressive job of protecting QB Matthew Stafford in 2011 (+27.1 as a group), but were not effective at creating running lanes (-28.2). Guards Stephen Peterman and Rob Sims allowed only three sacks and 39 total pressures on the year and shared 12th spot in our PBE rankings for guards. While center Dominic Raiola‘s +7.6 grade in pass protection ranked fourth among centers last year, his run grade (-9.8) had him ranked 31st among the top snap-getters.