A rematch of a razor-close wild card playoff matchup from last season. Quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff facing their former team. Stafford returning to the city that he called home for 12 seasons for what is expected to be another profanity-laced reception unsuitable for virgin ears.

The first Sunday Night Football game of the season sets up to be a wild, high-scoring encounter between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field in Detroit. The Lions are consensus 4.5-point favorites in the latest odds, while the over/under is 52.5. The total is the highest of any of the 16 games on the Week 1 NFL schedule.

Sunday night's matchup is a rematch of last season's Super Wild Card Weekend playoff game, which the Lions won 24-23. As every tortured Detroit fan knows, the victory was the franchise's first postseason win since the 1991 season and ended a nine-game postseason losing streak, the longest in NFL history. The victory also kickstarted a magical playoff run for the Lions, who knocked off the Buccaneers the following week in the division round and led the 49ers by 17 points in the third quarter of the NFC Championship Game before losing 34-31.

Last season's success has boosted expectations in the Motor City to levels more associated with the Red Wings, Tigers and Pistons, who all have won league titles since the Lions' last one in 1957 when no one had even heard of a Super Bowl. In fact, coach Dan Campbell & Co. enter the season as one of the favorites to lift the Lombardi Trophy in February at +1200, behind only the Chiefs (+450), 49ers (+600) and Ravens (+1100).

There's reason for the optimism. The Lions own one of the NFL's most prolific offenses, led by an air-tight offensive line, a veteran at quarterback, three game-breaking pass-catchers and two talented running backs. The unit figures to only improve off a season in which it averaged 27.1 points a game, which ranked fifth in the league.

On defense, Detroit has addressed the team's biggest weakness from last season by overhauling the secondary. Carlton Davis, who was acquired via trade in the offseason, and first-round pick Terrion Arnold project to be the team's top two cornerbacks and figure to be upgrades at the position. Brian Branch -- a 2023 second-round pick who was one of the most productive defensive backs in the NFL last season with three interceptions, 13 passes defended, seven tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 15 games -- moves from nickel to safety where Lions coaches believe he can better utilize his playmaking prowess.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, the Rams begin Year 1 AAD (After Aaron Donald). The future Hall of Fame defensive tackle retired after last season, leaving a massive hole in the middle of L.A.'s defensive line that, for the time being, will be manned by a rotation of youngsters. The entire defense also will be under new leadership. Chris Shula, the former linebackers coach and pass rush coordinator who is in his eighth season with the Rams, is the new defensive coordinator and replaces Raheem Morris, who's now the head coach of the Falcons.

On the other side of the ball, Los Angeles remains loaded at the skill positions. Stafford, who led an offense that ranked eighth in the league in points per game (23.8), still has the arm talent that made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2009. Third-year running back Kyren Williams is coming off a breakout 2023 season (1,144 rushing yards, 5.0 yards per carry and 15 total touchdowns). So too is receiver Puka Nacua (1,486 receiving yards as a rookie last year), who pairs nicely with veteran Cooper Kupp (51 receiving touchdowns and 7,066 receiving yards in 92 career games).

We'll take you through every aspect of the Lions-Rams Sunday night game that you need to know before you lock in your bets, including SportsLine expert picks, props, trends, injury information and everything else that will help you know which plays are worth making for the primetime matchup. 

Who wins Lions vs. Rams in the Sunday Night Football game, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit? Join SportsLine right now to see everything you need to know about the game in the first Sunday night matchup of the 2024 season.