Lions prepare for Sunday night rematch with Matthew Stafford and the Rams
Associated PressDETROIT — The Detroit Lions know they have to put the 2023 season behind them and focus on 2024. Detroit opens the season on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch of their wild-card game in January — won by the Lions for the franchise’s first playoff victory in 40 years. “The hardest thing is that we’ve still got seven days to go, but I’m excited, the staff is excited and so are the players, and I know our fans are ready to roll.” Last time, a lot of fans talked about their respect for Stafford — the best quarterback in franchise history — and insisted they were only booing him because of the magnitude of the situation. Rams coach Sean McVay “altered a little bit of how they traditionally played last year — they have a little bit more of a downhill approach,” said Campbell, who is beginning his fourth season as Lions coach. “It’s nice not to have to worry about him.” The Lions have never played in the Super Bowl — their last appearance in an NFL title game was in 1957 — but Campbell is up front about Sunday being the next step in achieving that goal.